Criminal penalties in Missouri
Checked in October 2026 against the Revised Statutes of Missouri, Chapters 558 to 577.
These are statutory ranges for a first offence, from the least to the most the law allows. A court decides the actual sentence in each case. Not legal advice.
How Missouri sets penalties
- Missouri sorts felonies into classes A to E and misdemeanors into classes A to D (R.S.Mo. 558.011). Class A: 10 to 30 years, or life. Class B: 5 to 15 years. Class C: 3 to 10 years. Class D: up to 7 years. Class E: up to 4 years. A class A misdemeanor carries up to 1 year, and a class B misdemeanor up to 6 months.
- Fines for class C, D and E felonies are capped at $10,000, for class A misdemeanors at $2,000, for class B at $1,000 (R.S.Mo. 558.002). The section read did not state a fine cap for class A and B felonies, so none is shown for them.
- The statute also sets the portion of a sentence that must be served before parole (for a class A felony, 70 per cent; for class B, 50 per cent). This table shows the sentence ranges only.
- Missouri has no separate offence of embezzlement. It is stealing (R.S.Mo. 570.030), graded by value: below $750 is a misdemeanor, $750 to under $25,000 is a class D felony, and $25,000 or more is a class C felony. Higher classes apply to listed property or conduct.
- A person under 18 at the time of a first-degree murder is sentenced under a separate rule in section 565.020.
- This table shows first-offence ranges.
Death penalty: Yes. First-degree murder is a class A felony punished by death or by imprisonment for life without eligibility for probation or parole, for a person aged 18 or older at the time of the offence (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 565.020).
First-degree murder
Death, or life imprisonment without parole (adult)
Murder in the first degree: knowingly causing the death of another person after deliberation (Class A felony)
- Least
- Life imprisonment without eligibility for probation or parole
- Most
- Death
The person must be 18 or older at the time of the offence. A person under 18 is sentenced under a separate rule in the section.
Second-degree murder
A class A felony: 10 to 30 years, or life
Murder in the second degree: knowingly causing death, or causing death in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of a felony (Class A felony)
- Least
- 10 years
- Most
- 30 years, or life imprisonment
Voluntary manslaughter
A class B felony: 5 to 15 years
Voluntary manslaughter: causing death in circumstances that would be second-degree murder but for sudden passion arising from adequate cause (Class B felony)
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
Robbery
A class B felony (second degree) up to a class A felony (first degree)
Robbery in the second degree (Class B felony)
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
Robbery in the first degree (Class A felony)
- Least
- 10 years
- Most
- 30 years, or life imprisonment
Burglary
A class D felony (second degree) up to a class B felony (first degree)
Burglary in the second degree: unlawfully entering a building or inhabitable structure to commit a crime in it (Class D felony)
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 7 years
- Fine
- Up to $10,000
Entering a motor vehicle with intent to commit a felony or stealing is a class C felony.
Burglary in the first degree (Class B felony)
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
Arson
A class B felony (first degree), a class A felony where serious physical injury results
Arson in the first degree: damaging a building or inhabitable structure by fire or explosion when a person is present or nearby and in danger (Class B felony)
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
The offence is a class B felony unless a person has suffered serious injury, as the section provides.
Aggravated assault
A class B felony (first-degree assault), a class A felony if great bodily harm is inflicted or the victim is a special victim
Assault in the first degree (Class B felony)
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
Assault in the first degree, inflicting great bodily harm or against a special victim (Class A felony)
- Least
- 10 years
- Most
- 30 years, or life imprisonment
Rape and sexual assault
A class A felony: 10 to 30 years, or life (first-degree rape)
Rape in the first degree (Class A felony)
- Least
- 10 years
- Most
- 30 years, or life imprisonment
Where the offence is an aggravated sexual offence, the term is life imprisonment as defined in the section.
Kidnapping
A class B felony up to a class A felony (kidnapping in the first degree)
Kidnapping in the first degree, committed to inflict physical injury or to terrorise the victim, or a similar listed purpose (Class B felony)
- Least
- 5 years
- Most
- 15 years
Kidnapping in the first degree, committed for ransom, reward, as a shield or hostage, or a similar listed purpose (Class A felony)
- Least
- 10 years
- Most
- 30 years, or life imprisonment
Embezzlement
A misdemeanor (under $750) up to a class C felony ($25,000 or more)
Stealing property or services worth $750 or more, up to under $25,000 (Class D felony)
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 7 years
- Fine
- Up to $10,000
Stealing property or services worth $25,000 or more (Class C felony)
- Least
- 3 years
- Most
- 10 years
- Fine
- Up to $10,000
Missouri has no offence called embezzlement. It is stealing (R.S.Mo. 570.030), which covers appropriating property or services of another with the purpose to deprive the owner and without consent, or by deceit.
Forgery
A class D felony: up to 7 years
Forgery (Class D felony)
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 7 years
- Fine
- Up to $10,000
Drunk driving, first offence
A class B misdemeanor: up to 6 months and a fine of up to $1,000
Driving while intoxicated (Class B misdemeanor)
- Least
- No minimum term set by the statute
- Most
- 6 months
- Fine
- Up to $1,000
Driving while intoxicated is a class B misdemeanor for a first offence. It is a class A misdemeanor for a prior offender or where a person under 17 is in the vehicle, a class E felony for a persistent offender, and a class D felony for an aggravated offender or where the defendant criminally negligently causes physical injury.
Compare with: Iowa, Arizona, California, New York, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, Maine, South Carolina, Delaware, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alabama, Alaska, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Vermont, West Virginia, Nevada.
