Arkansas has two types of crimes: felonies and misdemeanors. Felonies are more serious and carry harsher penalties including imprisonment and fines.

Class Y Felonies

A class Y felony is the most serious crime classification under Arkansas law. If convicted of a class Y felony, a defendant can be sentenced to a prison term of 10 to 40 years, or life. Examples of class Y felonies are murder, rape, and arson.

Class A Felonies

A class A felony is the second most serious crime classification in Arkansas. If convicted of a class A felony, a defendant can be sentenced to a prison term of 6 to 30 years, plus a fine of up to $15,000.  Examples of class A felonies are aggravated robbery and human trafficking.

Class B Felonies

A class B felony carries a possible sentence of 5 to 20 years, plus a fine of up to $15,000. Examples of Arkansas class B felonies are residential burglary, battery, and drug possession.

Class C Felonies

A class C felony is punishable by 3 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Examples of a class C felony are commercial burglary, theft, and drug possession.

Class D Felonies

Class D felonies are the least serious felonies in Arkansas, punishable by up to 6 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Simple possession of drugs, aggravated assault, and terroristic threatening are examples of class D felonies. Sometimes it is possible to have class D felonies reduced to misdemeanors depending on the facts and the history of the defendant.

Misdemeanors

Arkansas has three classifications of misdemeanors, class A, B, and C. Misdemeanors can carry fines of up to $2,500 and imprisonment of up to 1 year.