Felonies are crimes that can be punishable by more than a year in jail, in general. Those who are convicted of a felony face serious consequences even after they’ve served a jail term or completed their sentence, such as the loss of some of their basic rights. Anyone facing a felony charge will want to speak with a felony lawyer in Lancaster County, PA to see if their charges could be lowered.
Misdemeanor Versus Felony Charges
Misdemeanor charges are those where the possible sentence is less than a year in jail, while felony charges cover more serious crimes that could lead to a year or more in jail. Misdemeanor charges don’t have as serious of consequences for the convicted person, though they do still impact the person’s future.
Some types of crimes can be a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the situation. For instance, theft of under a certain amount is typically considered a misdemeanor, while theft over that amount is a felony. Drug charges can be felony or misdemeanor charges depending on what the person is accused of having on them.
Lowering Charges Versus Dismissing the Charges
Most people are going to prefer their charges to be dismissed completely and, while this is possible sometimes, it’s not possible in most cases. Instead, they might want to look into seeing if the charges can be lowered from a felony to a misdemeanor. This is often easier to do than getting the charges dismissed and is a better option than just trying to fight the felony charge in some cases.
If the charges are lowered, the person still faces being convicted of a crime. However, they won’t face as long of a jail term. Additionally, they won’t face the loss of their rights, such as the right to vote or the right to own a firearm, because they will be convicted of a misdemeanor charge instead of a felony charge.
Being arrested for a felony doesn’t mean a person is guaranteed to spend time in jail or lose their rights, but it’s very likely if they don’t have legal assistance. A felony lawyer in Lancaster County, PA may be able to help them have the charges lowered so they don’t face the more serious consequences of a conviction. Visit Law Office of Melissa R. Montgomery online now to see if the charges against you could be lowered.
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