Legal Areas

Common crimes have punishments that range from probation to life imprisonment in federal or state correctional facility and fines of up to several million dollars. An individual sentenced to a federal correctional facility could be imprisoned anywhere in the United States. If convicted in a federal court, an individual has no assurance to be imprisoned in his/her home state.

Imprisonment is not the only punishment; a convicted person can lose the right to vote, to own a firearm, to operate a vehicle, to live where he/she desires, and even to return to his home state. Collateral punishments could include shame, embarrassment, loss of employment and potential employments in the future, and in some cases even home.