A felony is considered the most serious type of crime. In Ohio, there are five categories of felonies, which are described by using numbers to correspond with the seriousness of the offense. Typical felonies include, murder, rape, burglary, arson, kidnapping and other similar crimes.

Those convicted of a felony can receive punishments which range from severity, from probation to imprisonment for at least six months or death in the case of the most serious felonies. Unlike misdemeanors, defendants convicted of a felony serve their sentence in a state or federal prison rather than a local, city or county jail.

Additionally, a person convicted of a felony will usually have more restrictions on their rights. Felons face additional collateral consequences from their convictions, for example, a convicted felon may not serve on a jury, may lose his voting rights, may be excluded from certain lines of work (i.e teacher), and may be prohibited from owning guns or serving in the military. Finally, if the felon is not a U.S Citizen, that person may be subject to deportation after sentencing is complete.

The following table represents the possible jail sentencing ranges and fines for felonies in Ohio.

Felonies [O.R.C. 2929.14 and 2929.18]

DEGREE	MAXIMUM JAIL TIME	MAXIMUM FINES
First Degree (F1)	3 to 10 years	$20,000
Second Degree (F2)	2 to 8 years	$15,000
Third Degree (F3)	1 to 5 years	$10,000
Fourth Degree (F4)	6 to 18 months	$5,000
Fifth Degree (F5)	6 to 12 months	$2,500

Note: There is certain “unclassified” felony offenses, like aggravated murder, murder, and rape which carry punishments not listed in the table above. It is important that you speak with an attorney A.S.A.P. if you have been charged with such.

Contact The Meranda Law Firm to speak with an experienced defense attorney if you have been charged with any of the following:

• Drug Possessions
• Rape
• Sex Crimes/ Gross Sexual Imposition
• Murder
• Burglary
• Arson
• Robbery
• Kidnapping
• White Collar Crimes

The Meranda Law Firm handles Criminal Cases for clients in the following counties/cities throughout central Ohio, Licking County, Perry County, Franklin County, Fairfield County, Delaware County, Pickaway County, Madison County, Union County, Marion County, Knox County, Muskingum County, Coshocton County, Morrow County, Clark County, Newark, Columbus, Heath, Granville, Johnstown, Pataskala, Mount Vernon, Lancaster, New Lexington, Zanesville, Reynoldsburg, New Albany, Westerville, Hebron, Circleville, Kirkersville, and Alexandria.