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Criminal Defense Attorney in Memphis, Tennessee

You Have Rights. Fight For Them!

Shannon A. Jones has been defending people accused of crimes in Tennessee for over 20 years. With every case, he works hard to provide the client with legal representation that will produce favorable results. No matter the level of criminal charge you are facing, Shannon A. Jones will put together a strategic defense plan with the goal of reducing your charges, minimizing fees and penalties, or even getting the charges dropped.

Whether you are facing a probation violation, DUI charge, or domestic violence charge, Shannon A. Jones will fight hard to protect your constitutional rights. Experienced in both the state and federal courts, Shannon A. Jones stands by the principle that all clients are innocent until proven guilty.

Why Choose Shannon A. Jones?

Shannon A. Jones handles many types of criminal cases from misdemeanors to felonies. He can help you with cases involving:

Types of Cases We Handle

Theft and robbery

Drug offenses (marijuana, cocaine, meth, heroin, etc.)

Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

Domestic violence

Physical assault

Theft

Sexual assault, rape

Fraud

Traffic violations

Probation violation

Sex crimes

Shannon A. Jones offers free, no-obligation consultations. All consultations are 100 percent confidential and allow the attorney and client to get to know one another. Shannon A. Jones wants to have a firm understanding of your unique case. When reviewing your case, no detail will go uncovered, and nothing gets overlooked.

Misdemeanor vs. Felony Charges

In the state of Tennessee, felonies are crimes punishable by a year or more in prison. Misdemeanors are less serious crimes, resulting in jail terms of less than one year.

Don't Let a Criminal Record Ruin Your Life

Sentencing guidelines determine the amount of prison time a person could receive for each felony conviction in Tennessee.  Felonies in Tennessee have a specific letter grade, ranked A-E. A is most severe, while E is the lowest severity. A Class A felony may carry a prison sentence as high as 60 years and a fine of up to $60,000, while Class E felonies carry at most 6 years in jail.

Before the offender is eligible for parole, a minimum amount of jail time must be served. This is known as release eligibility, and it’s based on range. For example, a person without a criminal record would be most likely a range one offender. These offenders have release eligibility after 30 percent of the jail time is served. On the opposite end of the spectrum, career offenders obtain release eligibility after 60% of the jail sentence is served. The range categories are one, two, multiple, and career.



Sentences don’t always result in jail time. A felony conviction can result in an offender being placed on probation. Release eligibility doesn’t factor into a probation sentence, but the grade of felony does. For example, if a range one offender was convicted of a Class E felony, they may be placed on probation for up to 4 years.

Sentencing Guidelines in Tennessee

In criminal law, statutes of limitations set a limit on the amount of time the state has to prosecute people. If the state of Tennessee fails to bring its criminal case within the specified time period, it loses its right to prosecute that crime.

The statute of limitations varies depending on the crime. In general, serious violent crimes have a longer statute of limitations, while some have none at all. Here are the statute of limitations time periods for felonies:

Offenses punishable by death or life in prison: no limit

Class A felony: within 15 years

Class B felony: within 8 years

Class C or D: within 4 years



Class E: within 2 years

Statute of Limitations

A conviction can have a significant impact on your life. In addition to facing severe legal ramifications, a conviction can bring about embarrassment and shame. You stand a much better chance of avoiding a conviction if you hire a skilled criminal defense attorney.



Memphis criminal defense attorney Shannon A. Jones is committed to helping the accused escape the penalties a conviction carries. He will draw on his extensive criminal defense experience in building the strongest case possible with the best chance for obtaining a not guilty verdict.

Don’t Let a Conviction Impact Your Life

In criminal cases, the burden of proof falls on the state. The prosecution must establish “beyond a reasonable doubt” that you are guilty of the crime you’ve been charged with. You are innocent until proven guilty. The prosecution has to prove that there’s no other reasonable explanation for the events that took place in your particular case.

If you hire attorney Shannon A. Jones to take on your case, he will examine the facts and circumstances in great detail and determine which defense strategy will work best for you. The defense strategy depends on the type of crime for which you are accused. For instance, if it’s a DUI (driving under the influence) charge, a criminal defense attorney could potentially argue the blood alcohol content (BAC) test administered was invalid or inaccurate. A common defense strategy for a violent crime, for instance, would be that the accused acted in self-defense.

As a detail-oriented and results-driven criminal defense attorney, Shannon A. Jones draws on his 20-plus years of legal practice to provide you with the best possible counsel and representation. To speak with an experienced Memphis criminal defense lawyer about your case, call us at 901-562-3605 or reach out to us online.

A Defense Strategy For You