GENERALLY, THE DESIGNATION of an offense as a felony or misdemeanor is determined by the punishment prescribed. Thus, a felony is defined as an offense for which an offender, upon conviction, may be punished by death or by imprisonment for more than one year, and an offense is s felony so long as the statutory maximum punishment is for more than, that is, in excess of one year. Felony has been said to be crime of a graver or more atrocious nature than those crimes designated as misdemeanors.

What may be a felony in one jurisdiction may be a misdemeanor in another, and vice versa, and in some jurisdictions crimes may not be classified at all. The very concept of felony seems to have been introduced ...