A felony is generally defined as what?

A felony is commonly defined as a serious criminal offense that typically carries penalties of imprisonment exceeding one year. This classification distinguishes felonies from misdemeanors, which are generally less severe offenses that involve shorter sentences, often less than one year. The serious nature of felonies reflects their potential to cause significant harm to individuals or society, hence the longer terms of incarceration that they impose. Understanding this classification is crucial for legal professionals as it impacts everything from sentencing to the rights of the individuals charged with such offenses. The other choices describe either lesser criminal charges or civil charges, which do not fall under the definition of a felony in legal terms.