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Similarities Between Felonies And Misdemeanors

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In the Criminal Justice system, criminal activity is separated into two types of criminal offenses: felonies and misdemeanors. A felony is a serious offense that is punishable by death or imprisonment, the sentencing is 1 year or longer in prison, depending on the seriousness of the offense. Felonies include offenses such as: murder, rape, theft, arson, and robbery. A misdemeanor is a minor offense that is punishable up to 1 year in a local jail and/or up to a $1,000 fine or less. Misdemeanors include offenses such as: petty theft, prostitution, public intoxication, assault, etc. Both criminal offenses have similar objectives for each criminal case, however they are very different in terms of punishment and severity.
A felony and a misdemeanor are similar because they are both classified as a criminal offense and both types of crimes are a very serious matters, some crimes more than others. The offenders both have criminal intent, meaning that they are aware of committing a crime. A prosecutor can determine if a crime is a felony simply if he finds mala in se in the crime, which means the offense is found to be evil and immoral. A prosecutor can determine a misdemeanor simply if he finds mala prohibita which is prohibited by statute. Each offender is charged and processed and will receive jail or prison time, or must pay a …show more content…

The most serious conviction of a felony can be life in prison or death, while the most serious conviction of a misdemeanor is only 1 year in jail or a $1,000 fine. A felony is typically a violent crime: murder, rape, etc. and a misdemeanor is typically a nonviolent crime: petty theft, trespassing etc. If convicted on a felony charge the offender loses all rights to the second amendment, (The right to bear arms.) the right to vote and right to serve on a jury. If convicted on a misdemeanor charge it has no effect on civilian

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