The category of felony in a particular criminal case is necessarily significant to any criminal history check for pertinent criminal information. While it is important to recognize that the offense is a felony and not a misdemeanor, it is equally as important to understand the different categories of felony crimes and how they are regarded by the criminal law system handling them. This is especially true of Class I felony offenses, as they are just on the cusp of being designated a class felony, so it is wise to consider each case individual. Below, we examine what makes a felony of this type designated as such, what crimes typically fall under this category, as well as why misdemeanors and felonies should be regarded in the same manner with these felony crimes.
Class felonies are ordered from A to I (in some states, 1-9), with A being the most severe of crimes and I denoting the least severe of crimes. Category I offenses, while the least serious, is still a class felony, and should be acknowledged as such. What types of crimes are bad enough to be a felony, but too mild to be a higher degree of felony? The most common of offenses that fall into this category are: embezzlement, battery with substantial bodily harm incurred, stalking, theft, and child pornography. All of these crimes can be acknowledged as more severe offenses depending on state, repeat offense status, and other aggravating factors; but standard conviction of these crimes will allow for a felony category charge.
As each category is ordered by a particular punishment singular to that category, I felonies follow suit accordingly. Federal regulation offers penalties of up to 3 ½ years imprisonment and/or fines of up to $10,000 for criminals convicted of type I crimes. While these guidelines are important in rendering punishment for these types of crimes, a number of factors can greatly influence what part of the penalty spectrum a judgment will fall within. The most significant of these variables are: state jurisdiction, criminal history, nature of crime, how many offenses committed, if a weapon was used, and if a minor was involved. All of these can help determine how strict a criminal sentencing will be administered to a particular defendant.
Another significant aspect of this category of felony offenses that should be considered during any criminal records search is how close they are to the category of misdemeanor. If you find a criminal record that offers information on a felony of this type, what possible conclusions can you draw from this? One thing to consider and endorse more research into, is whether or not the crime started as a felony of this category. In many cases, criminal charges are plead up or down according to the characteristics of crime and criminal, so what might have begun as a misdemeanor charge, ended up as a felony charge due to a number of aggravating factors. Moreover, the same criminal record could have had the crime plead down to a lesser charge-as a category I offense-which means that the defendant most probably accepted blame for the crime in return for a lesser charge on their criminal record. In both cases, being privy to this information could greatly influence your perspective on a particular individual’s criminal history.