{"id":169,"date":"2019-12-18T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2019-12-18T17:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/?p=169"},"modified":"2020-01-06T10:27:45","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T18:27:45","slug":"differences-between-felonies-and-misdemeanors-in-maryland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/differences-between-felonies-and-misdemeanors-in-maryland\/","title":{"rendered":"Differences Between Felonies and Misdemeanors in Maryland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Felonies-and-Misdemeanors.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-170\" width=\"250\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Felonies-and-Misdemeanors.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Felonies-and-Misdemeanors-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Felonies-and-Misdemeanors-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two categories for criminal offenses\nin Maryland, felonies and misdemeanors.&nbsp;\nIt\u2019s generally known that misdemeanors are less serious than felonies,\nbut in Maryland, some misdemeanors can carry longer jail sentences than\nfelonies.&nbsp; Here we\u2019ll explain why the\ndifference matters, why there\u2019s confusion between the two, how to identify\neach, and how you can best protect yourself from these charges.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why the Difference Matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s important to know whether you\u2019re being\nfaced with a misdemeanor or a felony because, overall, felonies hold much\ngreater consequences.&nbsp; For those who are\nfacing immigration proceedings, felonies are more likely to lead to a denial of\ncitizenship, the revocation of green cards and deportation.&nbsp; Felonies also prevent citizens from voting,\nreceiving social security benefits, being hired for jobs, receiving public\nhousing, joining the armed forces, holding public office or serving as a police\nofficer or lawyer.&nbsp; Felonies are tried in\nthe Circuit Court of Maryland, which is more serious than being tried in the\nDistrict Court.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why There\u2019s Confusion Between Felonies and Misdemeanors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A crime that\u2019s classified as a misdemeanor\nunder state law may be classified as a felony under federal law.&nbsp; Sometimes certain facts about a specific situation\nmay cause a crime that\u2019s normally classified as a misdemeanor to be elevated\ninto a felony case.&nbsp; It used to be that\nfelonies and misdemeanors were distinguished based on the potential jail time\nthat could be served (less than 1 year for misdemeanors, greater than 1 year\nfor felonies), however, since the law changed, you need to look into a specific\ncrime in order to see if it\u2019s categorized as a misdemeanor or a felony.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Examples of Misdemeanors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the most common misdemeanors include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Possession of marijuana (10g\n\u2013 50lbs) or other controlled substances<\/li><li>Driving under the influence, reckless\ndriving or other driving offenses<\/li><li>Carrying a concealed weapon<\/li><li>Second degree assault<\/li><li>Petty theft (valued &lt;$100)\nor misdemeanor theft (valued &lt;$1,000)<\/li><li>Vandalism<\/li><li>Stalking or harassment (including\ntelephone or email harassment)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The sentence is dependent on the specific crime\nand can vary anywhere from less than 90 days to ten years of imprisonment, in\naddition to fines ranging from $500 \u2013 $5,000.&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Examples of Felonies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the most common felonies include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Possession of marijuana or\nother controlled substances with intent to distribute <\/li><li>Vehicular homicide or murder<\/li><li>Weapons offenses<\/li><li>First degree assault or\nsexual assault<\/li><li>Robbery, burglary, fraud, or\ntheft (valued &gt;$1,000)<\/li><li>Arson<\/li><li>Kidnapping<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These sentences can vary from one year to a\nlifetime of imprisonment, and fines also vary greatly.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How To Protect Yourself From Felonies and Misdemeanors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Convictions of any kind can damage your future\nreputation, financial security, employment or housing opportunities, and rights\nas a citizen; having strong legal defense can help you in dismissing your\ncharges, exploring your best options, or representing you in court.&nbsp; The Law Office of Elizabeth A. Lawrence\noffers high-quality legal representation, personal attention, and professionalism\nto help defend those who need it most.&nbsp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/contact-us.php\">Click here<\/a> or call (410) 986-0088 to\nconsult with an experienced attorney today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We explain why there\u2019s confusion between felonies and misdemeanors, how to identify each, and how you can best protect yourself from these charges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169\/revisions\/172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elawrencelaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}