Misdemeanor Conviction Consequences. A Criminal Defense Lawyer | Attorney’s Perspective.
Any Washington State criminal defense attorney | lawyer worth their salt should be able to immediately tell you the following:
Maximum Jail Time and Fines for Misdemeanors and Gross Misdemeanors.
- A Misdemeanor crime carries a maximum punishment of a $1000.00 fine and 90 days in jail.
- A Gross Misdemeanor Crime carries a maximum punishment of $5000.00 fine and 364 days in jail. RCW 9A.20
Misdemeanor Conviction Consequences. A Criminal Defense Lawyer | Attorney’s Perspective.
Any Washington State criminal defense attorney | lawyer worth their salt should be able to immediately tell you the following:
Maximum Jail Time and Fines for Misdemeanors and Gross Misdemeanors.
- A Misdemeanor crime carries a maximum punishment of a $1000.00 fine and 90 days in jail.
- A Gross Misdemeanor Crime carries a maximum punishment of $5000.00 fine and 364 days in jail. RCW 9A.20
Maximum Probation for Misdemeanors and Gross Misdemeanors.
Instead of jail time, courts can impose probation. The idea is that instead of a judge ordering you to go to jail, you are ordered to be, and submit to being under, monitored or unmonitored probation (the judge decides what is appropriate) for a specified period of time. You pay the probation department monthly fees for monitoring you.
The maximum amount of probation you can receive is 5 years for Domestic Violence cases or for deferred prosecutions relating to a drug, alcohol or mental health problem. The maximum amount of probation on all other cases is 2 years.
During your period of probation, if you violate any of the conditions a court imposes on you at sentencing, the judge has the ability to put you in jail for period of time up to the maximum authorized by the underlying criminal conviction: 90 days for misdemeanors and 364 days on gross misdemeanors minus credit for any time you already served.
The Real Question.
The real question most people wish answered is what will be the likely punishment in their particular case. In the thousands of Washington cases our lawyers have handled, we have only seen about 10 people ever get the maximum on a misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor crime (these cases plead down from serious felonies or the individuals chose to serve all their jail time instead of submitting to probation).
So what will be my Misdemeanor Conviction Consequences?
The honest answer to this question is no one really knows until after sentencing. We can tell you our experiences with similar crimes or fact patterns, but each case varies with the crime and local prosecuting attorneys office. It also varies with whether your criminal defense lawyer | attorney helped you respond proactively and responsibly to the issues your case raised, or with what type of job you hold, your prior convictions, how vocal the victim is and who your judge is, among other things. Claiming to predict the final outcome of any case is a sure sign of a bad criminal defense lawyer | attorney (we have heard stories from clients) or of fraud; however, you can increase the chances of a lighter sentence by following the courts orders, hiring an experienced and effective criminal defense team, following their directions, taking steps to deal with the underlying issues that caused the crime and relying on your support network of friends, family and professionals to help get you through the process.
Clients hire us because they want experienced, devoted, resolute and effective counsel who will take the time to make sure their rights are protected. Our firm is a unique blend of courtroom experience, knowledge, skills and temperament. Consultations are free but a poor choice in counsel can be costly. The first step is a phone call or appointment.
