Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
An indictment (/ ɪ n ˈ d aɪ t m ən t / [1] in-DYTE-mənt) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime.In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an indictable offence, an offence that requires an indictment.
The grade of a crime is its ranking or classification by its degree or seriousness or severity. [1] [2] A felony is more serious than a misdemeanor, which is more serious than an infraction. A first degree felony is more serious than a second degree felony. The severity of punishment is based on the grade of the crime.
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. [1] The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resulted in the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods, to which additional punishments, including capital punishment, could be added; [2 ...
The classes of offenses under United States federal law are as follows: Offense classes Type Class Maximum prison term [1] Maximum fine [2] [note 1] Probation term [3 ...
The serious crimes that warrant this punishment include treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer in certain cases. The federal government imposes and carries out a small minority of the death sentences in the U.S., with the vast majority being applied by state ...
The punishments generally include fines, suspension, probation, a small amount of jail time, or alcohol and drug classes. If the criminal charges are considered more serious like a felony, then there is a lengthier process for determining the punishment. Felonies include the most serious crimes such as murder and treason.
The American Model Penal Code defines the purpose of criminal law as: to prevent any conduct that cause or may cause harm to people or society, to enact public order, to define what acts are criminal, to inform the public what acts constitute crimes, and to distinguish a minor from a serious offense. [2]
In the United States, the law for murder varies by jurisdiction. In many US jurisdictions there is a hierarchy of acts, known collectively as homicide, of which first-degree murder and felony murder [1] are the most serious, followed by second-degree murder and, in a few states, third-degree murder, which in other states is divided into voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter such ...