If you are charged with an indictable offense, it will be graded on a scale of first-degree to fourth-degree. First-degree charges are the most serious offenses and have maximum prison terms of 20 years or more. Each degree of indictable offense also carries increasingly larger potential fines. The degree of offense can also determine whether the offense is eligible for expungement. Many first-degree and second-degree offenses and many violent and sex-based offenses are ineligible for expungement and cannot be cleared from your record.