A person found guilty of a criminal offense, even a minor offense, may lose his liberty. Conversely, an award of monetary damages usually remedies civil wrongs. The burden of proof in a civil case is less stringent. In many States, these offenses are referred to as felonies and misdemeanors. The basic distinctions between crimes and disorderly persons offenses are the amount of jail time a person could serve, who prosecutes the case and the court that hears the case.
Crimes are punishable by more than six months in jail.
Depending on the severity of the crime, the crime is classified as a first, second, third or fourth degree crime. First degree crimes are the most serious. A person convicted of a first degree crime may be sentenced to between ten and twenty years in prison. A person convicted of a second degree crime may be sentenced to between five and ten years in prison. A person convicted of a third degree crime may be sentenced to between three and five years in prison.