Felony Crimes

In criminal law, there are two basic categories of crime; misdemeanors and felonies. In Tennessee, a felony offense is a crime that carries a punishment of more than one year incarcerated. But felony convictions can have a wide range of impacts on your life for many years to come. Therefore, while no criminal charge can be taken lightly, a felony charge can more, far reaching consequences. A skilled criminal defense attorney can help lessen or even eliminate some of those consequences. Often, lower lever felonies can be negotiated down to misdemeanors or dismissals.

In addition to the sentences below, a felony conviction prohibits the citizen from ever owning or possessing a firearm, voting or registering to vote, running for public office, and often impacts the ability to get a good job.

There are many types of felonies in Tennessee ranging from everything to First Degree Murder, a Class A felony, down to Reckless Endangerment in a motor vehicle, a Class E felony. Due to this range, felonies are classified A -E with Class A felonies carrying the highest punishment and Class E felonies carrying the lowest. A list of the classes and their maximum terms is as follows:

• Class A felonies: Not more than 60 years in prison and up to $50,000 fine

• Class B felonies: Not more than 30 years in prison and up to $25,000 fine

• Class C felonies: Not more than 15 years in prison and up to $10,000 fine

• Class D felonies: Not more than 12 years in prison and up to $5,000 fine

• Class E felonies: Not more than six years in prison and up to $3,000 fine

If you are charged with a felony crime in Tennessee, it is absolutely vital that you engage a skilled criminal defense attorney as soon as you can to help minimize or eliminate your exposure. The criminal defense provided by Byars Law has a proven track record of knowing how to defend your specific case.