No act is a crime if it has not been previously established as such either by statute or common law prior to the act. A state's legislature usually determines what acts are considered criminal offenses and are categorized into two different classes - misdemeanors and felonies. There are also crimes prosecuted on the Federal level on issues that pertain to serious crimes such as kidnapping and drug convictions. In recent years the list of Federal crimes has grown. Our office aggressively litigates cases in which clients are innocent and work hard to diminish the exposure of our clients to lengthy incarceration and other adverse effects.
Misdemeanors are offenses that have a penalty that can include up to one year in jail.
These offenses are generally quick and simple to define and resolve. Most misdemeanors are handled by the issuing of a citation from an arresting officer or a complaint filed by a prosecutor. The citation or complaint includes a short statement of the offense with which you are charged, and states whether the offense is an infraction, a misdemeanor, or a felony. Felonies are defined as criminal offenses with maximum penalties greater than one year in prison. Felony charges include murder, malicious wounding, and armed robbery, as well as grand larceny, possession of cocaine or heroin and other serious charges.