A misdemeanor is a criminal charge. Misdemeanor offenses are a lessor offense than a felony, but they are not without penalties, some of which can have very devastating effects on a person's life including the inability to obtain certain jobs, qualify for bonding, or receive governmental aid such as school loans.

Under Wisconsin law, misdemeanors are classified according to their severity. Each misdemeanor classification provides recommendations for jail sentences and forfeitures (fines). A person convicted of a misdemeanor can be incarcerated into a county or local jail, ordered to pay a fine, or both. If a person is a repeat offender, the punishment is more severe. Additional penalties may also apply.

MISDEMEANOR CLASSIFICATIONS

Wisconsin’s misdemeanor classifications include: Class A misdemeanor, Class B misdemeanor, and Class C misdemeanor.

Class A Misdemeanor

The penalty for a Class A misdemeanor may include a fine up to $10,000, or imprisonment for up to 9 months, or both; however, for a repeat offender, the term of imprisonment may increase up to 2 years.

Class B Misdemeanor

The penalty for a Class B misdemeanor may include a fine up to $1,000, or imprisonment for up to 90 days, or both; however, for a repeat offender, the term of imprisonment increase up to 2 years.

Class C Misdemeanor

The penalty for a Class C misdemeanor may include a fine up to $500, or imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both; however, for a repeat offender, the term of imprisonment increase up to 2 years.

Misdemeanor Imprisonment

Both felonies and misdemeanors are criminal charges, but with one major distinction: imprisonment.

A person convicted of a felony will be imprisoned in a state (or federal) prison. Conversely, a person convicted of a misdemeanor is almost always imprisoned in a local or county jail.

Misdemeanor Jail Time

Typically, a misdemeanor penalty will include a recommendation for jail time in a county or local jail not to exceed the period of one year. However, a person convicted of a misdemeanor can be sentenced to jail for a period of more than one year. Additionally, a court can and often will impose a jail sentence and provide for an additional period of time of probation.

Probation & Additional Penalties

In addition to the above penalties, a court can order a person to serve a term of probation for up to two years, or order an entire list of “conditions” or rules that one must abide while on probation.

Probation should not be taken lightly by anyone. As Chris Van Wagner has often said, “Being on probation is like being married to someone, but being married to someone you did not pick, you do not like, and yet you cannot divorce.”

If you are considering settling for an offer of probation, please call (608-284-1200 or 1-866-2624599) or email ( ) the attorneys at Van Wagner & Wood to discuss your options with knowledgeable criminal defense lawyers before accepting the conditions.

Successful Criminal Defense

If you are under investigation for a crime or drunk driving offense, if you are considering settling for a plea bargain or a probation offer, if you have already been charged with a crime or drunk driving violation, or if you have already been convicted but believe your conviction or your sentence were wrong, please call (608-284-1200 or 1-866-262-4599) or e-mail ( ) the criminal defense lawyers at Van Wagner & Wood right away to discuss your options with knowledgeable criminal defense lawyers before accepting any offer. They will give you a brief but professional “first-impression” analysis of your case and your situation, which will allow you to take an important first step in determining your best defense.

Van Wagner & Wood, S.C.

608-284-1200

Address: 10 East Doty Street, Suite 701 | Madison, Wisconsin 53703

Post Office Box 88 | Madison, Wisconsin 53701

Fax: (608) 284-1200

Website Address: http://www.vanwagnerwood.com

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Offices of Van Wagner & Wood

Van Wagner & Wood's office is located at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and Doty Street. Their address is 10 East Doty, suite number 701. You can park on the street (on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.) and access the office from the doors facing Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., or you can park under 10 East Doty and use the elevator inside the lobby. If the parking ramp is full, then private parking is available across from 10 East Doty and public parking is available in the public parking ramp at the corner of State Street and Doty Street.

Will Attorneys Van Wagner & Wood Represent Me?

Appeals & Serious Crimes - Homicide - Murder

Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense lawyers handle appeals to both the Appellate Court and the Supreme Court, as well as both state and Federal court systems for people convicted of a crime who believe their conviction or sentence were wrong. Most often, the appeals that they handle are to federal court because very few attorneys handle these types of appeals; Attorney Chris Van Wagner was a US Attorney in Wisconsin before entering private practice. Often times, people from across the United States hire Attorney Van Wagner for a Federal or a state appeal for serious crimes including homicide, RICO (Racketeering), felony murder, negligent homicide, vehicular homicide, or sexual assault. Attorney Tracey Wood handles appeals to Wisconsin State Court of Appeals and Wisconsin Supreme Court for charges or convictions stemming from a Wisconsin trial.

Federal Crimes

Drug Crimes

Van Wagner & Wood's criminal defense lawyers represent people located across the state of Wisconsin in matters involving state drug charges including Adams (Adams, Wisconsin Dells), Ashland (Ashland), Barron (Barron), Bayfield (Washburn, Bayfield), Buffalo (Buffalo City, Mondovi), Burnett (Siren), Chippewa (Chippewa Falls), Clark (Abbotsford), Columbia (Columbus), Crawford (Prairie du Chien), Dane (Belleville, Black Earth, Blue Mounds, Brooklyn, Cambridge, Cottage Grove, Cross Plains, Dane, Deerfield, DeForest, Fitchburg, McFarland, Madison, Maple Bluff, Marshall, Mazomanie, Middleton, Monona, Mount Horeb, Oregon, Rockdale, Shorewood Hills, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, Verona, Waunakee, Windsor), Douglas (Superior), Dunn (Menomonie), Eau Claire (Abbotsford, Eau Claire), Grant (Mount Hope, Lancaster, Fennimore), Green (Monroe), Iowa (Mineral Point, Dodgeville), Jackson (Black River Falls), Jefferson (Jefferson), Juneau (Mauston), La Crosse (LaCrosse, Lafayette, Darlington), Marathon (Wausau), Monroe (Sparta), Pepin (Durand), Pierce (River Falls), Polk (St Croix Falls), Portage (Stevens Point), Price (Park Falls), Richland (Richland Center), Rock (Janesville), Rusk (Ladysmith), St Croix (Hudson), Sauk (Sauk City), Taylor (Medford), Trempealeau (Whitehall), Washburn (Spooner), and Wood (Wisconsin Dells) counties.

Drunk Driving (OWI, DUI, DWI)

Wisconsin's foremost authority on drunk driving laws, Attorney Tracey Wood, consults with lawyers and law firms throughout the United States to help them build successful strategies for very complex cases. In Wisconsin, Attorney Wood most frequently represents people located in Madison (Dane County), Richland Center (Richland County), La Crosse (La Crosse County), Jefferson (Jefferson County), Wisconsin Dells (Columbia County and Sauk County), Stevens Point (Portage County), Dodgeville and Mineral Point (Iowa County), Portage (Columbia County) and Montello (Marquette County).

Sexual Assault & Sex Crimes

Van Wagner & Wood's attorneys represent people in matters involving sex crimes such as sexual assault, aggravated assault, computer crimes involving pornography, child pornography, and solicitation. Their clients often reside in Dane (Madison, Middleton, Monona, Fitchburg), Green (Monroe), Lafayette (Darlington), Dodge (Beaver Dam, Waupun), Portage (Stevens Point), Wood (Wisconsin Rapids), Sauk (Wisconsin Dells), Columbia (Columbus), Richland (Richland Center) and Juneau (Mauston) area.