Walk It Through: The Sentence Explained
What a class means, a misdemeanor and a felony, a set aside after probation, and the vote.
A defendant is told the charge is a Class I misdemeanor and asks what that means.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
Two defendants. Plea bargaining, habitual criminal enhancements, and sealing after a pardon are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Sealed recordA record removed from the public record. A person cannot be questioned about an offense whose record is sealed on an application for a job, license or education, and may answer as if it never occurred.
- Set asideA court order that nullifies a conviction and removes the civil disabilities it imposed, available after probation, a fine only, or a sentence of not more than one year.
- Warrant of dischargeA warrant from the Board of Pardons restoring a person sentenced for a felony to the civil rights it names, such as jury service or public office.
- InfractionAn offense that is not a crime of any class. Where no other penalty is set, a first offense is a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.
- Post-release supervisionA period of supervision after imprisonment that comes with the lower felony classes: twelve months for a Class IV felony, eighteen months for a Class IIIA, and two years for a Class III.