Arizona Laws 13-604. Class 6 felony; designation
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, if a person is convicted of any class 6 felony not involving a dangerous offense and if the court, having regard to the nature and circumstances of the crime and to the history and character of the defendant, is of the opinion that it would be unduly harsh to sentence the defendant for a felony, the court may enter judgment of conviction for a class 1 misdemeanor and make disposition accordingly or may place the defendant on probation in accordance with chapter 9 of this title and refrain from designating the offense as a felony or misdemeanor until the probation is terminated. The offense shall be treated as a misdemeanor for all purposes until such time as the court may actually enter an order designating the offense a misdemeanor or a felony. This subsection does not apply to any person who stands convicted of a class 6 felony and who has previously been convicted of two or more felonies.
Attorney's Note
Under the Arizona Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 6 felony | up to 1 1/2 years | up to $150,000 |
| Class 1 misdemeanor | up to 6 months | up to $2,500 |
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 13-604
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Crime: means a misdemeanor or a felony. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Dangerous offense: means an offense involving the discharge, use or threatening exhibition of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument or the intentional or knowing infliction of serious physical injury on another person. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Felony: means an offense for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in the custody of the state department of corrections is authorized by any law of this state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Firearm: means any loaded or unloaded handgun, pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun or other weapon that will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of expanding gases, except that it does not include a firearm in permanently inoperable condition. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Historical prior felony conviction: means :
(a) Any prior felony conviction for which the offense of conviction either:
(i) Mandated a term of imprisonment except for a violation of chapter 34 of this title involving a drug below the threshold amount. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
- including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Misdemeanor: means an offense for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment other than to the custody of the state department of corrections is authorized by any law of this state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
- Person: means a human being and, as the context requires, an enterprise, a public or private corporation, an unincorporated association, a partnership, a firm, a society, a government, a governmental authority or an individual or entity capable of holding a legal or beneficial interest in property. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Possess: means knowingly to have physical possession or otherwise to exercise dominion or control over property. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Preliminary hearing: A hearing where the judge decides whether there is enough evidence to make the defendant have a trial.
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
- public offense: means conduct for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment or of a fine is provided by any law of the state in which it occurred or by any law, regulation or ordinance of a political subdivision of that state and, if the act occurred in a state other than this state, it would be so punishable under the laws, regulations or ordinances of this state or of a political subdivision of this state if the act had occurred in this state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
- Wilfully: means , with respect to conduct or to a circumstance described by a statute defining an offense, that a person is aware or believes that the person's conduct is of that nature or that the circumstance exists. See Arizona Laws 1-215
B. Notwithstanding subsection A of this section and until the court actually enters an order designating an offense a misdemeanor or a felony, the offense shall be treated as a felony conviction for all of the following purposes:
1. Placing the defendant on felony probation pursuant to chapter 9 of this title, including for the purposes of Title 31, Chapter 3, article 4.1.
2. For the purposes of DNA collection pursuant to section 13-610.
3. Determining the defendant’s right to possess a firearm pursuant to chapter 31 of this title.
4. Being used as a historical prior felony conviction.
5. Being admissible for impeachment purposes in a subsequent trial.
6. Being used to enhance the sentence pursuant to chapter 7 of this title.
C. The court shall designate an undesignated offense as a misdemeanor on the defendant’s successful fulfillment of the conditions of probation and discharge by the court. The defendant successfully fulfills the conditions of probation if, in the discretion of the court, the defendant has satisfied the conditions of probation. This subsection applies to a defendant who owes any outstanding monetary obligation unless the defendant owes victim restitution or has wilfully failed to pay the monetary obligation.
D. If a crime or public offense is punishable in the discretion of the court by a sentence as a class 6 felony or a class 1 misdemeanor, the offense shall be deemed a misdemeanor if the prosecuting attorney files any of the following:
1. An information in superior court designating the offense as a misdemeanor.
2. A complaint in justice court or municipal court designating the offense as a misdemeanor within the jurisdiction of the respective court.
3. A complaint, with the consent of the defendant, before or during the preliminary hearing amending the complaint to charge a misdemeanor.