Understanding New York Felony and Misdemeanor Classes

According to 214,542 DCJS pretrial release records from 2019–2024, Assault cases across 59 New York counties have an average dismissal rate of 74.2% and an average conviction rate of 25.4%.

Disclaimer: This page provides statistics from public court records for informational purposes only. This is not legal advice. Laws and penalties change — consult a licensed New York attorney and the New York Penal Law for current legal information. Past court outcomes do not predict future results.

New York law classifies criminal offenses into distinct categories that affect everything from pretrial release to potential sentencing. This guide explains the classification system and what our DCJS pretrial release data (2019-2024, 1.38M records) reveals about how charge class relates to court outcomes.

The Classification System

New York uses a tiered system for criminal offenses:

Felonies (Classes A-E) — The most serious offenses. Class A felonies carry the longest potential sentences, while Class E felonies are the least serious felony level.
Misdemeanors (Classes A-B) — Less serious than felonies. Class A misdemeanors (e.g., assault third degree, petit larceny) are more serious than Class B.
Violations — Non-criminal offenses that do not result in a criminal record.

What Our Data Shows by Charge Class

Our analysis of DCJS pretrial release records shows that charge class correlates with significant differences in:

Pretrial release rates — misdemeanors are far more likely to result in ROR than felonies
Bail-setting patterns — higher felony classes show higher rates of bail and remand
Charge reduction frequency — data suggests many felony charges are ultimately reduced

View grand larceny statistics for an example of how a felony charge is handled across New York counties.

County Variation Within Charge Classes

Even within the same charge class, outcomes vary across New York's 62 counties. Urban, suburban, and rural counties may show different patterns in how cases at the same severity level are processed.

Next Steps

For the official text of New York's Penal Law, visit the New York State Senate website. To understand how a specific charge class plays out in your county, explore our charge statistics pages. For legal advice, consult a licensed New York attorney.

Frequently Asked Questions

New York classifies felonies from Class A (most serious, including murder) through Class E (least serious). Each class carries different potential sentence ranges. Our data tracks how outcomes differ by charge severity across all 62 counties. Consult the New York Penal Law or a licensed attorney for current penalty information.

In New York, a misdemeanor is a criminal offense punishable by up to one year in jail (Class A) or up to three months (Class B). A violation is a non-criminal offense. Our DCJS data shows that pretrial release patterns differ substantially between these charge levels.

Our data suggests that charge class is one of the strongest predictors of pretrial release decisions and disposition patterns. Higher-class felonies tend to have different bail and remand rates compared to misdemeanors. See our charge-specific pages for detailed statistics.