Last Updated on May 11, 2022 by Fair Punishment Team
Understanding the laws of your country are vitally important. Being able to distinguish between different types of crimes and how severely they might be punished is crucially important in order to not only ensure that you family are safe but also to make sure that justice is done.
If a crime has been committed against you or a family member and you don’t know what the perpetrator may get under the law then you can feel lost and isolated from the legal system.
Therefore, this piece will seek to set out exactly what crimes are ranked as the most serious and which are ranked as the least serious and how crimes are dealt with in terms of sentencing. If you have ever wondered what a Class C Misdemeanor is, then this article will tell you exactly what it is.
What Is The Difference Between A Felony And A Misdemeanor?
Before we explain exactly what a Class C Misdemeanor is, let’s set out the difference between felonies and misdemeanors.
Felonies are the most serious crimes in the American justice system. They are crimes like murder, rape and armed robbery. These are the crimes that carry the most severe sentence time in prison and in the case of murder execution in some states.
Misdemeanors on the other hand are relatively light offences which time is usually served in a local jail rather than in a federal prison. Misdemeanors are also different from felonies because they are broken into three different categories.
The categories depend on the state. For example, in states such as Alabama and Illinois, misdemeanors are categorized by the letters A, B and C. However, not all states use this system of categorization.
For example, in Connecticut they have category D misdemeanors and some states like South Dakota and Colorado use the numbers 1, 2 and 3 to differentiate misdemeanor crimes.
Others do away with numbers and letters altogether and have misdemeanors categorized based on whether they are gross or petty.
Now that we have outlined the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor, let’s explain exactly what a category c misdemeanor is.
What Is A Category C Misdemeanor?
As explained above, a Category C Misdemeanor is one of three different classifications of misdemeanor that exist in some states across the US.
A Category C Misdemeanor is the least serious category of crime that you can be convicted of in the American judicial system. Crimes that are often labelled as Category C include traffic tickets, petty theft of under fifty dollars or items valued under fifty dollars, simple assault and disorderly conduct.
They are the kind of crimes someone might accidentally commit when they are drunk or committed by desperate children or teenagers. They are classed as less serious because ultimately the crime is minor and does not involve either a great deal of damage to people or property or will involve a great deal of forensic or scientific evidence.
Those who are convicted of a Category C Misdemeanor can expect to serve a year in a state jail at most or you can be fined for a certain amount of money, depending on how much damage the judge believes has been inflicted by the crime.
Can A Class C Misdemeanor Impact Your Life?
Now that we have set out the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor and explained what a Class C Misdemeanor actually is, let’s discuss how being convicted of a Class C Misdemeanor can impact your life.
The answer is that, whilst you might be worried that such a misdemeanor conviction can sully your chances of getting a good job or progressing with the work you have, you would be wrong to think so. Many employers are willing to overlook a Class C Misdemeanor conviction.
As it is the least serious crime that anyone in the USA can be convicted of, it isn’t considered necessarily dangerous or risky to employ someone who has such a conviction.
Equally, you can easily get a Class C Misdemeanor expunged from your police record in many states once the case has been settled and you have served your time.
Although it will cost you approximately a thousand dollars, you can ensure your conviction is removed by applying to your local sheriff’s department to receive the information you need to ensure your crime is expunged from your record.
There may of course be some extra hoops to jump through before you can ensure your record is wiped clean. For example, in Texas, five years need to have elapsed without a felony conviction from the day of your arrest for your Class C Misdemeanor in order for you to get the conviction expunged from your record.
You may not of course be able to get rid of your Class C Misdemeanor conviction; some states will not allow for the process to go ahead because of the type of crime you were convicted of and some simply don’t have the infrastructure to deal with such cases.
However, even if you are unable to remove a Class C Misdemeanor from your record you shouldn’t look at it as if it were a permanent mark that will hold you back for the rest of your life. Whilst having a Class C on your record can be frustrating it should not impede you from pursuing your dreams and ensuring you have the best life you can possibly have.
Why Knowing About America’s Legal System Is Important
Knowing about the American legal system is important. Hopefully you will never find yourself in a situation in which you have to become involved in America’s legal system, however if you do then knowing exactly how severe the classification of particular crimes is can give you an advantage.
It can ensure that you do not feel as if you are alone and unable to understand the system that you find yourself a part of.
Therefore, you should do as much as possible to learn about the American legal system as you can because it will mean that you will be prepared for whatever life throws at you.
