A felony crime is one which is punishable by the possibility of imprisonment greater than one year or is punishable by death. Of course, the death penalty is reserved for only certain murder cases and so for most people a felony crime is one where the possibility of imprisonment in the Department of Corrections exists.
Some examples of common felonies are grant theft, burglary, robbery, kidnapping and drug offenses. If you are convicted of a felony, you lose many of your civil rights. You will not be eligible to vote and you will not be eligible to run for public office. There are many jobs that require licensing by the State of Florida and you may not be eligible for those licenses if you are a convicted felon. Even some jobs that do not require a license require certain bonding or insurance coverage before you can obtain the job. Some insurance companies may refuse to bond convicted felons and therefore, even though you are not barred by law from certain jobs, you may find it difficult or impossible to obtain the job because of insurance or other requirements.
Felony cases are the most complicated and serious under our law. It is extremely difficult for an untrained, inexperienced person to represent themselves in felony court. The government saves its most experienced and best prosecutors to handle felony cases and, if you act as your own lawyer, you will be going against these prosecutors in court.
If you have been charged with a felony in Florida, contact Asilia Law Firm today; we are skilled in defending the legal rights of individuals facing serious criminal charges.
