A misdemeanor, or misdemeanour, in many common law legal systems, is a "lesser" criminal act. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than felonies; but theoretically more so than administrative infractions (also known as regulatory offenses). Many Misdemeanors are punished with monetary fines. In the United States, the federal government generally considers a crime punishable by a year or less in prison to be a misdemeanor.[LINK: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00003559----000-.html] 18 USC 3559. All other crimes are felonies. Many states also follow this. The distinction between a felony and misdemeanor has been abolished by most other common law jurisdictions (e.g. [LINK: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/ca195882/s322b.html] Crimes Act 1958 (Vic., Australia) s. 332B(1),

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