 A misdemeanor, in many common law legal systems, is a "lesser" criminal act. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions (also known as regulatory offenses).
In some jurisdictions, those who are convicted of a misdemeanor are known as misdemeanants (as contrasted with those convicted of a felony, who are known as felons). Depending on the jurisdiction, examples of misdemeanors may include petty theft, prostitution, public intoxication, simple assault, disorderly conduct, trespass, vandalism, and other similar crimes. In general, misdemeanors are crimes with a maximum punishment of 12 months or less of incarceration, typically in a local jail or prison. Those people who are convicted of misdemeanors are often punished with probation, community service, or part-time imprisonment, served on the weekends.
In Anglo-American law, misdemeanors are in the middle range of
seriousness for violations of the law. Felonies are the most serious
and typically result in automatic forfeiture of some civil rights, including suffrage, and commonly involve lengthy incarceration. Typically, only those charged with felonies are entitled to the right of trial and jury. Infractions
are the least serious, are punishable only by fine (and a command to
reverse the behavior), and never carry a formal social stigma (examples
of violations include parking and minor traffic offenses, late payment
of fees, and building code violations).
Misdemeanors never result in the loss of civil rights, but may
result in loss of privileges, such as professional licenses, public
offices, or public employment. Such effects are known as the collateral consequences of criminal charges. This is more common when the misdemeanor is related to the privilege in question (such as the loss of a taxi for reckless driving), or when the misdemeanor involves moral turpitude—and in general is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. One prominent example of this is found in the United States Constitution, which provides that the president may be impeached
by Congress for "high crimes and misdemeanors" and removed from office
accordingly. The definition of a "high" misdemeanor is left to the
judgement of Congress.
Within classes of offenses, the form of punishment can vary widely. For example, the U.S. federal government and many U.S. states divide misdemeanors into several classes, with certain classes punishable by jail time and others carrying only a fine.
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