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Definition: felony from The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide

In criminal law, former term for an offence that is more serious than a misdemeanour; in the USA, a felony is a crime generally punishable by imprisonment for a year or more.


felony

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(fĕl'Әnē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor , that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law . In early English law a felony was a heinous act that canceled the perpetrator's feudal rights and forfeited his lands and goods to the king, thus depriving his prospective heirs of their inheritance. The accused might be tried by an appeal of felony, i.e., personal combat with his accuser, the losing party to be adjudged a felon (see ordeal ). The appeal of felony was gradually replaced by rational modes of trial and was altogether abolished in England in 1819. In addition to the forfeiture of his property, the convicted felon usually suffered death, long imprisonment, or banishment. Death was an especially common English penalty in the 18th and the early 19th cent. To the list of common-law felonies—including murder, rape, theft, arson, and suicide—many others were added by statute. With the abolition of forfeitures in England in 1870 the felony acquired…
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Full text Article Felony

From World of Criminal Justice, Gale
A felony, a criminal offense that is more serious than a misdemeanor, is generally punishable by a fine, imprisonment for more than a year, or both. Crimes typically classified as felonies include treason , arson , murder, rape, robbery, burglary , manslaughter , and kidnapping , among others. …
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Full text Article Felonies

From The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Felonies are serious crimes, such as murder, rape, or arson, for which the typical consequence is capital punishment or imprisonment for over a year. Etymologically, the word felony originally connoted wickedness or evil. The category of felony derives from the English Common Law, in which a felony…
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Full text Article felony

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
(fĕl'Әnē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor , that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law . In early English law a felony was a heinous act that canceled the perpetrator's feudal rights and forfeited his lands and goods to the king, thus depriving his prospective…
| 278 words
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Full text Article felony

From Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law
:a crime that has a greater punishment imposed by statute than that imposed on a misdemeanor; specif :a federal crime for which the punishment may be death or imprisonment for more than a year —see also attainder , treason ◇Originally in English law a felony was a crime for which the perpetrator…
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Full text Article Felony Courts

From The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice
With the exception of the few states that operate single-tiered trial court systems, felony courts in the United States are situated at the secondary level of state trial court hierarchies. Felony courts vary in name and structure from state to state, but are commonly known as courts of general…
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Full text Article Felony Disenfranchisement

From Encyclopedia of Race and Racism
Promoting the Vote to Former Felons. Artist and...
The term felony disenfranchisement (or, more specifically, felony voting disenfranchisement ) refers to the denial of the right to vote to incarcerated persons and released ex-offenders who were convicted of certain classified crimes, though not necessarily felonies. Since the adoption of the…
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Full text Article Felony Murder

From World of Criminal Justice, Gale
Felony murder is a doctrine providing that if a killing occurs during the commission or attempted commission of a felony, the person or persons responsible for the felony can be charged with murder. Felony murder derives its name from a simple early common law proposition: any death occurring during…
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Full text Article Felony Murder Rule

From Encyclopedia of Capital Punishment in the United States
Felony Murder Rule
The felony murder rule is a common-law doctrine that makes it easier for a prosecutor to obtain a murder conviction when a victim is killed during the commission of another felony offense. If a capital felon commits a homicide during the course of committing a non-homicide felony offense, this…
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Full text Article felony

From Merriam-Webster's Collegiate(R) Dictionary
pronunciation (14c) 1 :  an act on the part of a feudal vassal involving the forfeiture of his fee 2 a :  a grave crime formerly differing from a misdemeanor under English common law by involving forfeiture in addition to any other punishment b :  a grave crime declared to be a felony by the…
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Full text Article Prior Felony or Homicide Aggravator

From Encyclopedia of Capital Punishment in the United States
Prior Felony or Homicide Aggravator
A majority of capital punishment jurisdictions have made the existence of a prior felony or homicide a statutory aggravating circumstance. In these jurisdictions, the death penalty may be imposed if it is found at the penalty phase that a defendant has a prior felony or homicide conviction. Some…
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