Criminal charges in Kentucky are broken up into 2 separate categories; felony and misdemeanor charges. Those 2 categories are further broken depending on the severity of the crime charged. As well as if there are any aggravators for those charges.
In Kentucky a felony is a crime that is punishable by one year or more in prison. Felonies are broken down in Kentucky to capital offense and Class A, B, C, and D felonies.
In Kentucky, murder is a capital offense and punishable by anything from the death penalty to as little as 20 years incarceration. For someone to receive the death penalty, they must be convicted of murder along with one of eight aggravators.
Class A felonies are punishable by 20 to 50 years imprisonment or life in prison.
Class B felonies are punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison.
Class C felonies carry a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years.
Class D felonies are punishable by 1 to 5 years in prison.
Misdemeanors are crimes that are punishable by less than one year in prison.
In addition to prison terms criminal charges in Kentucky can result in orders to pay a fine up to $10,000.
Understanding the different types of criminal charges is important to insuring the best outcome in a criminal case. Moving through the process of a criminal charge it is valuable to have the advice and help of a competent attorney as they can help defendants navigate the steps of the process and avoid common pitfalls. If you have charged with committing a crime and need advice, please call to speak with an attorney at Hurst & Hurst Law at (859) 209-2101.
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I think I’ll need to tell my brother to hire a criminal defense lawyer for his case. As you’ve mentioned, he can possibly carry a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years if he doesn’t clear up his situation to the judge. He’s being accused of stalking by his ex-girlfriend even though he doesn’t know where she lives anymore and accidentally saw her in a cafe one month ago, so maybe the judge will understand if a lawyer sorts things out for him.