If you have been accused of a crime, it will either be an infringement, a misdemeanor or a felony. Infringements are generally just warnings that may carry small fines. Misdemeanors are a little more serious and may leave you in jail for up to a year. Felonies are the most serious type of crime and can carry sentences of prison terms, massive fines, long probation periods and, even, the death penalty. These consequences are always serious, but even more so in a state like Texas with a reputation for tough sentencing for convicted criminals. As a matter of fact, the state is so strict we perform executions at four times the rate of any other state. With this in mind, it is easy to see how important it is to hire a skilled Houston felony crime attorney.
In some situations, a crime that would normally be only a misdemeanor will be charged as a felony. This frequently occurs when the defendant has a prior record of similar crimes or when the damage done exceeds a certain value. Sometimes victimizing a special group of people, like children, disabled persons or police officers will increase the charge as well. If your criminal charge has been enhanced to a felony, your Houston felony crime lawyer will work to have your charges reduced back down to a misdemeanor.