Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers of Austin

Misdemeanors and Felonies in Texas

Criminal offenses are divided into two different classifications: felonies and misdemeanors. Each state within the US determines individually how these crimes will be classified and charged within its borders. Generally, however, a felony is defined as a crime that is punishable by a year or more in a penitentiary. A misdemeanor is termed as a crime that results in the potential punishment of one year or less in prison.

Texas Misdemeanors

In Texas, misdemeanors have three different classifications, with separate punishments for each.

• Class A Misdemeanor: punishable by a fine of $4000 or less and/or one year or less in prison
• Class B Misdemeanor: punishable by a fine of $2000 or less and/or 180 days or less in prison
• Class C Misdemeanor: punishable by a fine of $500 or less

Misdemeanors can also result in the loss of certain citizens’ privileges, such as a driver’s license or revocation of public office.

Texas Felonies

Texas felonies have a wider range of classifications than misdemeanors. A criminal has committed one of five felonies when his or her crime has been severe enough to warrant such a classification, and they are ranked based on the brutality of the crime at hand.

• State Jail Felonies: punishable by a fine of $10,000 or less and/or 2.5 years or less in prison
• Third Degree Felonies: punishable by a fine of $10,000 or less and/or between two and ten years in prison
• Second Degree Felonies: punishable by a fine of $10,000 or less and/or between 2 and 20 years in prison.
• First Degree Felonies: punishable by a fine of $10,000 or less and/or between 5 and 99 years in prison
• Capital Felonies: punishable by life in prison or by death

Texas is one of the few states that uses capital punishment for extreme offenders.

Contact Us

If you or someone you know may have been wrongly accused of a felony or a misdemeanor, please do not hesitate to contact Austin criminal defense lawyer Ian Inglis at 512-472-1950 today.