Misdemeanors

Boating Under the Influence (BUI) Can Lead to Criminal Charges

Operating any vehicle under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants is dangerous, which is why all states have not only drunk driving laws, but also drunk boating laws.

Carrying a Concealed Weapon

People who may legally possess and even openly carry weapons can't always place those weapons in their pockets or otherwise conceal them without breaking the law.

Criminal Mischief

Criminal mischief has likely been around for as long as people have owned personal property. Any time a person damages someone else's property without the owner's permission, that's criminal mischief.

Disorderly Conduct Laws and Penalties

Whenever people engage in conduct that is likely to cause a disturbance or lead to some sort of non-peaceful event, this behavior is often prosecuted as disorderly conduct, sometimes referred to as “breach of the peace.”

Disturbing the Peace

Disturbing the peace, also known as a breach of the peace, disorderly conduct, or by similar terms, occurs whenever someone acts in a way that disrupts the public order or disturbs the peace and tranquility of the community.

Domestic Violence Laws and Penalties

Domestic violence crimes involve acts of violence by and against those involved in domestic, family, or intimate relationships. Learn how states define and penalize crimes of domestic violence.

Unlicensed Driving and Presenting Proof of a Valid License

A suspended license is one that has been taken away temporarily. In some situations, the suspension period automatically expires and the license becomes valid again; in other situations, drivers must apply to the issuing agency to reinstate their licenses.

Driving With a Suspended or Revoked License

In every state, drivers who have been convicted of specified driving violations and other offenses may have their driving privileges suspended or revoked, in addition to other consequences. When the underlying offense is driving-related, the suspension is intended as a way to provide for safety on the public roads.

Drug Possession Laws

What is a controlled substance? Learn about the penalties for drug possession and the laws in your state.

DUI Charges and Penalties

An overview of DUI (driving under the influence) offense classifications and possible consequences.

Is Running From the Police (or Evading Arrest) a Crime?

The crime of evading arrest is committed when a person flees or runs from a police officer to avoid being apprehended, detained, or arrested. Learn when this offense can result in felony charges.

Exhibition of Speed and Street Racing Violations

Ever since the automobile first made its way onto American roadways, cities and states have limited how fast cars could legally travel. Though speed limits are an ever present limitation whenever you drive, many people are not aware that you can also violate traffic laws by engaging in exhibitions of speed.

Failure to Identify to a Police Officer: Laws & Penalties

Law enforcement officers routinely ask people for their names and other identifying information. Police may ask for the information as part of a specific criminal investigation.

Hit-and-Run Criminal Charges and Penalties

 “Hit-and-run” laws, also known as “stop-and-give-aid” laws, require drivers who are involved in collisions to: stop, provide identification, and give any needed assistance.

Harassment and Cyberbullying as Crimes

Harassment crimes include stalking, bullying, hate crimes and more. The penalties for a conviction can be severe.

Illegal Dumping: Laws & Penalties

Illegal dumping has become an increasingly large problem throughout the United States. Offenders often dump late at night to avoid the cost and inconvenience of proper waste disposal.

What Is Illegal Gambling?

Gambling laws vary from state to state. All states prohibit some types of gambling and generally regulate legal forms of gambling. Learn about the possible penalties for illegal gambling, gaming, and betting activities.

Indecent Exposure: Laws & Penalties

Indecent exposure laws prohibit exposing private body parts in certain circumstances. Learn more about the crime here, including penalties, defenses, and common questions.

Marijuana DUI

The often tragic consequences and harsh legal penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol are well publicized. What many people don’t realize is that it is also illegal and punishable in all 50 states to drive under the influence of marijuana.

Marijuana Possession: Laws & Penalties

While some states have passed laws permitting or decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, marijuana remains an illegal controlled substance under federal law.

Minor in Possession of Alcohol

Minor in possession laws (sometimes called underage drinking laws) target sales of alcohol to minors and public possession of alcohol by minors.

Obscenity Laws

Not many legal concepts reduce Supreme Court Justices to uttering, “I know it when I see it.” But that’s exactly what Justice Potter Stewart wrote about obscenity.

Petty Theft & Other Theft Laws

Classified as a misdemeanor, petty theft involves the theft of items under a value of five hundred dollars.

Possession of a Controlled Substance: Drug Possession Laws

What is a controlled substance? Learn about the penalties for drug possession and the laws in your state.

Possession of a Prohibited Weapon: Laws and Penalties

The Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms, but there are limits. Read here about what kinds of weapons are often prohibited, the circumstances that make having weapons illegal, and the legal consequences of breaking these laws.

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Along with drug possession charges, possession of drug paraphernalia charges are one of the more commonly charged crimes in any jurisdiction. Understand the legal definition, circumstances, and penalties for illegal possession of drug paraphernalia.

Probation Conditions: Violation Penalties and Revocation

When you're convicted of a crime you face potential punishments that include a fine and incarceration. However, courts can also impose a probation sentence in lieu of, or in addition to, fines and jail or prison time.

Prostitution Laws

Under most states and counties in the United States prostitution is illegal and punishable as a misdemeanor in most cases. Prostitution is defined as the act of offering, agreeing to or engaging in sexual acts or sexual contact for compensation.

Public Intoxication Laws and Penalties

Can being drunk in public get you arrested and charged with a crime? Learn about the various state approaches to public intoxication.

Public Lewdness: Laws & Penalties

Public lewdness refers to indecent or obscene behavior in public. These laws protect society from public conduct considered immoral and inappropriate.

Racing on the Freeway

In some states charges of exhibition of speed are classified under the name of "racing on the freeway" or "racing on the highway".

Receiving Stolen Property

While theft is an universally understood crime, not everyone knows that you can also commit a theft crime if you acquire stolen or illegally obtained goods.

Reckless Driving Violations and Penalties

The crime of reckless driving occurs whenever someone operates a vehicle in such a way that it poses a risk to others. Unlike some other traffic laws, reckless driving is highly dependent on the circumstances of each individual case.

Resisting Arrest: Laws, Penalties, and Defenses

Resisting arrest occurs when a person interferes with a law enforcement officer’s attempt to perform a lawful arrest. Some states call the crime “obstruction.”

Caught Having Sex in Public: Laws, Charges, and Penalties

In most states, the laws that criminalize public sex make it a misdemeanor. Some state laws explicitly criminalize public sexual activity. Other laws are broader and cover a variety of indecent or lewd conduct.

Shoplifting Laws

Shoplifting offenses are fairly common, but that doesn't mean shoplifting crimes aren't taken seriously. Every state's penal code includes provisions that apply to shoplifting (usually under the umbrella of theft or larceny statutes), and penalties can be harsh.

Simple Assault or Misdemeanor Assault

A conviction for misdemeanor or simple assault can have serious immediate and long-term consequences that go beyond jail time.

Is Solicitation of Prostitution Illegal?

Depending on the state, solicitation of prostitution can mean either when a prostitute advertises their availability to perform sexual acts for compensation or when a potential patron offers to pay for sex, or both

Terrorist Threat Laws and Penalties

Lawmakers and courts have long recognized that some damaging or dangerous forms of speech should be prohibited. Making a terrorist threat is one such form of speech that is prohibited.

Criminal Trespassing Laws and Penalties

A property owner has the right to use his or her property in any manner that is not otherwise prohibited by law. Part of this right includes being able to use the property exclusively and preventing other people from entering the property without permission.

Unlawful Discharge of a Weapon

Unlawful discharge of a weapon crimes can be either misdemeanor or felony offenses depending on the state and the circumstances of the case.

Unlawful Restraint

Holding someone against their will is an example of unlawful restraint. Learn how states define and penalize this criminal act.

Vandalism: Crimes and Penalties

Vandalism is the willful destruction or damaging of property in a manner that defaces, mars, or otherwise adds a physical blemish that diminishes the property's value.

Violation of a Restraining Order

Restraining order violations can carry serious repercussions, including arrest, jail holds, and a criminal conviction.