Burglary is considered a serious offense in California. The penalties reflect the fact that private property rights are inviolable, and entering someone’s property is a significant violation. Many burglary offenses are automatically charged as felonies, while others give the prosecutor the discretion to charge them as a felony or misdemeanor.
The penalty for burglary depends on the severity of the offense. Burglary of a residential structure will always be charged as first-degree burglary, which carries the following penalties:
- Two, four or six years in prison
- A fine of up to $10,000
- One strike for purposes of California’s “three strikes” law
Burglary of any other structure is charged as second-degree burglary, which can be charged as a felony or misdemeanor, depending on the prosecutor’s discretion. Second-degree burglary carries the following penalties when charged as a felony:
- Sixteen (16) months, two (2) years or three (3) years served in county jail; and/or
- A fine of up to $10,000
If you have been charged with misdemeanor burglary, you could be sentenced to up to one year in prison and fined up to $1500. Any criminal conviction could have a significant impact on your life, besides the potential jail time that you face. Burglary convictions most often mean jail time.
As you can see, there are a variety of outcomes when you are facing burglary charges along with very serious penalties. You have every reason to hire an aggressive and experienced criminal defense attorney to either fight the charges or negotiate the best possible plea bargain with the prosecutor.
Call a Marin County Burglary Defense Attorney
The Mason Law Office will aggressively defend you when you are facing criminal charges, no matter what you are accused of in your case. To schedule your initial consultation, you can call us today at 833.770.1372 or reach out to us online.
