Convicted Felon

Convicted Felon Convicted Felon Convicted Felon By Maeve Maddox A person who commits a felony is called a felon. A felony is a serious crime; what constitutes a felony differs from state to state, but in every state, crimes fall into three categories: infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. 1. Infraction An infraction is a petty offense punishable by small fines. An infraction cannot result in a jail sentence, so the person accused of one is not entitled to a jury trial. In some states, a traffic violation is an infraction; in others, a traffic ticket may be a civil offense. 2. Misdemeanor A misdemeanor is a criminal offense that can be punished by up to a year in jail. Instead of receiving a jail sentence, offenders who commit a misdemeanor may be punished by the payment of a fine, restitution, probation, and/or community service. Defendants charged with a misdemeanor are entitled to a jury trial. In some states, selling cigarettes to a minor is a misdemeanor. 3. Felony A felony is the most serious category. A felony involves serious physical harm or threat of harm, for example, assault with a deadly weapon, forcing a person to participate in prostitution, attacking a family member, attacking a stranger, etc. Felonies are further classified according to the perceived level of seriousness: Class A Felonies, Class B Felonies, etc. Felons are often referred to in the media as â€Å"convicted felons†: Baltimore Convicted Felon Exiled to Over 9 Years in Prison Convicted felon bails on job Angry sheriff questions how convicted felon escaped again Convicted felon shoots dogs at Gulfport residence The AP Stylebook defines felon as â€Å"a person who has been convicted of a felony, regardless of whether the individual actually spends time in confinement or is given probation or a fine instead.† Once a person has been convicted of a felony, the person is a felon. As the AP points out, referring to a felon as â€Å"a convicted felon† is redundant. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 101Try to vs. Try andSentence Adverbs