A felony is a crime considered highly serious under common law tradition, contrasted with the less serious misdemeanor. The term originated in English common law, where a felony conviction resulted in the confiscation of the convicted person's land and goods, along with further punishment that could include capital punishment, while lesser offenses were called misdemeanors instead. A person convicted of a felony may afterward be described as a felon or a convicted felon. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Typical PenaltyDeath or more than one year in prison 1 Notable ExampleAggravated assault or battery, animal cruelty, arson, blackmail, burglary 1 Jurisdiction VariationEngland and Wales: crimes are classified as indictable or summary offenses, the only distinction being the mode of trial 1 Classification
Offense GradeSerious or Indictable Offense 1 Connections
Has Offense Grade
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Source Felony (Wikipedia)LeadQuote, Lead
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; other crimes were called misdemeanors.
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1. Felony (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia, Felony, lead section
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; other crimes were called misdemeanors.
Lead section, opening definition
a felony is a crime that is punishable by death or more than one year in prison
United Kingdom, England and Wales, History
crimes are classified as indictable or summary offenses, the only distinction being the mode of trial
United States, Classification by subject matter
Felonies may include but are not limited to the following: Aggravated assault or battery, Animal cruelty, Arson, Blackmail, Burglary
In Group: Classes of Offense by Seriousness and Court, Lead sentence
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious.
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