Felonia ( English felony ) - a concept in the Anglo-Saxon system of law , meaning crime . It should be distinguished from the concept of " misdemeanor " ( offense ).
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Term History
The word comes from the old French felonie - "evil, betrayal, crime, sin." [one]
Initially, the term appeared in England in the XIV century during the time of feudalism and meant a certain act that inflicted damage to honor, committed by the vassal in relation to the lord or vice versa - by the lord in relation to the vassal. At that time, a crime against honor was a serious crime and was punishable by deprivation of a feud, or the transfer of a vassal with his feud directly dependent on the senior lord. In its modern meaning, this term has retained the meaning of a serious crime.
Modern usage
In its modern interpretation, which is present in US law (and, until recently, also in Great Britain , Australia , Ireland, and Canada ), felony means a crime more serious than misconduct ( misdemeanor ). In particular, high treason is considered felony. Some offenses, for example, tax evasion, depending on the severity, qualify as either a felony or a misdemeanor.
The differences between the felony and the misdemeanor in American law approximately correspond to the differences between crime and offense in Russian law, but there are some peculiarities. The main feature is that not only a fine can be imposed for a misdemeanor in the USA, but in some cases imprisonment (but the maximum term should not exceed one year). Russian law also provides for imprisonment for certain types of administrative offenses - administrative arrest for up to 30 days.
Notes
Links
- Felonia // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
- Felonia // Encyclopedia of a Lawyer
- https://web.archive.org/web/20130924193618/http://www.pravo.vuzlib.org/book_z1334_page_7.html