In New York, felonies range from a class E felony, which is the least serious felony, to a class A felony which is the most serious felony charge you can face. Each felony level has a maximum period of incarceration. For instance, an E felony has a maximum period of imprisonment of 4 years; a D felony has a maximum period of imprisonment of 7 years; a C felony charge has a maximum period of imprisonment of 15 years; a B felony charge has a maximum period of imprisonment of 25 years; and an A felony charge has a maximum period of life in prison. Note that drug offenses carry different punishments. For example, first time drug offenders face the following periods of incarceration: an E felony drug offense has a maximum period of imprisonment of 1 ½ years; a D felony has a maximum period of imprisonment of 2 ½ years; a C felony charge has a maximum period of imprisonment of 5 ½ years; a B felony charge has a maximum period of imprisonment of 9 years; and an A felony charge has a maximum period of incarceration of 20 years.
