Violations

 

A violation is the least serious offense; it’s not even considered a crime. On a job application if you were convicted of a violation and somebody said, “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?” you could honestly answer no on the application.

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An example of a violation that we give is what we call disorderly conduct. When you hear about the actors who stand in the middle of the street to prevent traffic from going or who go on a picket line, those people usually are convicted of disorderly conduct. It’s a violation, not a crime.

 

Misdemeanors

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There are two types of misdemeanors A misdemeanors and B misdemeanors, which are both crimes. B misdemeanors is less serious than A misdemeanors. The difference really is that B misdemeanors are punishable by 90 days in jail, A misdemeanors are punishable by 1 year in jail. Those are the maximum penalties, the minimum penalty is just a fine.

 

Felonies

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Felonies are the most serious crimes. Those start at the D felony, which is the lowest and they go backwards in the alphabet up to an A felony, which is the most serious of crimes. Within those designations there are also designations of violent felony, which makes it a more serious crime within that A category. Penalties could go anywhere from life imprisonment, depending on what the crime is, major drug charges or murders, to  a plea-bargain in which you could end up with only a fine or probation.