Convictions for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol are usually charged as either a misdemeanor, or a felony DUI. The felony DUI is, of course, a more serious criminal act than that of the misdemeanor. With a felony DUI, someone has been seriously injured, or has lost his or her life because of the reckless driving of another person. A felony DUI normally calls for a prison term, and this term can be as much as twenty to thirty years, depending on where the crime occurred. A misdemeanor DUI can be changed over to a felony DUI if the person who committed the crime has a previous record of DUI convictions, usually in the last seven years. If you have previously had a felony DUI, and are charged with a new misdemeanor DUI, it will be switched over to a felony DUI. If you are charged with a felony DUI, then you will be faced with a harsh sentence, which could very well change life as you know it now.