Introduction
According to the federal criminal statues of Virginia, crimes are broken into three classes. There are felonies, misdemeanors and traffic infractions. As far as the classifications of federal criminal statues of Virginia, they are classified according to statute number.
Every violation that is considered criminal is codified numerically by the state. be it speeding ticket or murder. Also, the codes are stipulated in different classes depending on the type of crime. They are in a range of seven classes of felonies. For instance, the Possession of Cocaine is considered Class five felony and it is punishable by 10 years also adding substantial fines. So depending on the crime that you are charged with, you could end up in any one of the classes. The classes are grouped in order of punishment as well. For example, felonies in Class one are punishable by life imprisonment or death. Class 6 felonies are felonies that are up to five years in a correctional facility.
The federal criminal statues that are considered misdemeanors are also classified into five groups or categories from the first class to the fourth. The first and the second class carry jail time while the third and the fourth are fine related in terms of punishment. An example of a misdemeanor is assault and battery. This is a Class one misdemeanor and is punishable by one year in jail. On the other hand, adultery is a Class 4 misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine.
Other federal criminal statues are such as traffic violations which are usually punishable by fines and suspensions of driving privileges. These are the traffic offenses that are concerned with such matters as speeding, disobeying or disregarding the traffic light or running a red light. With these traffic offenses, you are allowed to prepay. These traffic offenses do not include the ones that are more complicated such as driving under the influence, reckless driving or eluding the police. These more complicated ones are misdemeanors and they fall in the first class.
Depending on the type of conviction that comes with federal criminal statues, your life can vary in different ways. If, for example, you are charged with a felony, it results in a loss of civil rights which include the right to vote, the right to own a firearm as well as the right to travel abroad. With misdemeanor, you get to retain your civil rights. However, it comes with a level of discrimination in the community which can frustrate your efforts of getting a job, for example. Both felonies and misdemeanors can end up in jail time, as discussed, and this jail time can come with probation period which is either supervised or unsupervised.
The federal system is more specified in the area of law when compared to the state system. Needless to say, the time limits in federal cases is short as compared to the state system. With the federal state and federal prosecution, getting your trial date continued is very hard.
