Editing Misdemeanor (section)

== Penalties ==

Misdemeanors usually do not result in the restriction 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 [[Taxicab|taxi]] driver's license after a conviction for [[reckless driving]]), or when the misdemeanor is deemed to involve [[moral turpitude]]—and in general is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

===United States===

In the United States, misdemeanors are typically crimes with a maximum punishment of 12 months of [[incarceration]], typically in a local [[County jail|jail]]. This contrasts with felons, who are typically incarcerated in a [[prison]]. Jurisdictions such as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are notable exceptions: the maximum punishment of some misdemeanors in Massachusetts is up to 2.5 years' imprisonment<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mass.gov/courts/docs/admin/sentcomm/mastercrimelist.pdf|title=Felony and Master Crime List|date=December 2015|website=www.mass.gov/courts|publisher=Massachusetts Sentencing Commission|access-date=27 January 2017}}</ref> and up to five years' imprisonment in Pennsylvania for first-degree misdemeanors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://casetext.com/statute/pennsylvania-statutes/consolidated-statutes/title-18-pacs-crimes-and-offenses/part-i-preliminary-provisions/chapter-1-general-provisions/section-106-classes-of-offenses|title=18 Pa.C.S. §106|access-date=2 March 2025}}</ref> People who are convicted of misdemeanors are often punished with [[probation]], [[community service]], short jail term, or part-time incarceration such as a sentence that may be served on the weekends.

The [[United States Constitution]] provides that the President may be [[impeached]] and subsequently removed from office if found guilty by Congress for "high crimes and misdemeanors". As used in the Constitution, the term ''misdemeanor'' refers broadly to criminal acts as opposed to employing the felony-misdemeanor distinction used in modern criminal codes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Schick v. United States, 195 U.S. 65, 24 S.Ct. 826, 49 L.Ed. 99 (1904)|url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10977065371937092299|website=Google Scholar|access-date=29 June 2017}}</ref> The definition of what constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanors" for purposes of impeachment is left to the judgment of Congress.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bowman|first1=Frank O.|last2=Sepinuck|first2=Stephen L.|title=High Crimes and Misdemeanors: Defining the Constitutional Limits on Presidential Impeachment|journal=Southern California Law Review|date=1999|volume=72|issue=6|page=1517|url=http://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1074&context=facpubs|access-date=29 June 2017}}</ref>

===Singapore===
In [[Singapore]], defendants found guilty of misdemeanors are generally given a [[jail sentence]] for a number of months, but with certain specific crimes, suspects are sentenced to a harsher sentence. An example is the penalty imposed for [[vandalism]], which is a [[fine (penalty)|fine]] not exceeding S$2,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years, and also [[corporal punishment]] of not less than three strokes and not more than eight strokes with the use of a [[Caning in Singapore|cane]] - an example was the [[Caning of Michael Fay]].