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Alexandria Domestic Violence Penalties

The most common domestic violence charges in Alexandria are either assault on a family member or the battery of a family member. Those are both Class 1 misdemeanors which are punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine as well as an order to stay from the other party. In more serious cases of domestic violence, things such as an unlawful wounding, malicious wounding or even, in some cases, a kidnapping or abduction, are serious felonies where the penalties can be measured in years as opposed to months.

There are a number of long-term penalties for domestic violence in Alexandria. The primary one is that an individual is going to have the offense on their criminal record. That is something that can affect their current employment, future employment, or if they ever find themselves in a custody and visitation case. In addition, there is some social stigma that comes with domestic violence penalties. In the worst-case scenarios, sometimes what the court imposes on them could be something long-term even in the most serious felony domestic violence cases. Contact a professional attorney if you are facing such serious consequences.

Enhanced Penalties

Under certain circumstances, enhanced penalties for domestic violence in Alexandria include more severe penalties. These penalties are up to the judge to impose. The most common enhanced domestic violence penalty in Alexandria are those in which a person has had prior convictions for the same offense, either in their second or third offense. These offenses include mandatory penalties in addition to whatever a judge might exercise their discretion to impose.

There are enhanced penalties for someone who has a prior domestic violence conviction. If an individual were ever to be charged the second time, they would find themselves facing something more serious than the first charge.

Aggravating Factors

Aggravating factors are more likely to cause a judge to be tougher in their sentencing. In that sense, they are also a type of penalty enhancement. Things that are likely to be aggravating in a case include a record of other violent crimes or of any crime at all. It can include the age of the other party. It can also include the severity of their injuries. If there are injuries that are serious, judges will most likely impose a harsher penalty for domestic violence in Alexandria.

In addition to that, a domestic violence conviction will disqualify a person not only from having a concealed carry permit but also possessing a firearm at all.

Protective Orders

If someone has violated a protective order that they were issued in their domestic violence case in Alexandria in the course of committing some other crime, it aggravate a penalty severely. Domestic violence has the potential to result in a jail sentence.

If a person committed an act of domestic violence in violation of a previously entered protective order, that is one of the things that offends the courts almost as much as anything and will almost certainly cause the penalty to be greater, perhaps significantly.

Contact an Attorney Today

It is crucial to contact an experienced attorney if you have been charged and you are facing Alexandria domestic violence penalties. There are a number of immediate consequences. There could be the loss of a person’s freedom. It is not unusual under the right set of facts for someone to have an active jail sentence if they are convicted of domestic violence in Virginia. A domestic violence charge should be dealt with immediately. Contact a skilled and experienced attorney today.

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