A misdemeanor is a classification for a less serious crime. Therefore, a misdemeanor is a criminal charge. A crime is classified as a felony when it is more serious. An infraction is typically considered less serious than a misdemeanor.

There are numerous crimes classified as misdemeanors. Petty theft is classified as a misdemeanor. In most states, theft is termed “petty theft” if the item stolen was below a particular value. Other crimes classified as a misdemeanor include trespassing, vandalism, various forms of disorderly conduct, and several other less serious crimes. Drunk driving is considered a misdemeanor unless the person has been charged with several related drunk driving incidents in a particular amount of time.

In most misdemeanor cases, punishment will not exceed over one year of jail time. Generally, only felony charges result in more than a year of imprisonment. However, in some states repeat offenders with misdemeanor charges can receive more than one year of jail time. Probation and community service are common for someone that is charged with a misdemeanor as well. Most privileges are not taken away from someone that has committed a misdemeanor. However, there are some potential losses relating to public employment and particular licenses. Voting rights and jury duty are generally not taken away from those that are charged with a misdemeanor. Also, most are still able to practice as a licensed professional. A person serving a sentence for a misdemeanor will usually serve the time in a local or county jail rather than in a federal or state prison.

Some states enforce a three strike rule. The three strike rule will require heavier punishment, such as longer prison sentences, for those that commit three or more felonies. A misdemeanor is not usually considered in most three strike rules.

There are many states that divide misdemeanors into different classes. For example, in Wisconsin there are Class A, Class B, and Class C misdemeanors. Occasionally, a misdemeanor charge will fall outside of any particular class. In this situation, punishment will be made according to the severity and other factors relating to the crime. Also, repeat offenders can face not only greater sentences, but also face larger fines than one-time offenders. Generally, some classes of misdemeanors will be punishable by a specific amount of jail time while other classes of misdemeanors will be punishable by fine. In most states, the amount of the fine is set depending on the misdemeanor class.

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