 Legal terms you should know if you're in the criminal justice system It is super important to know whether you're charged with a misdemeanor or a felony in the state of Florida Felonies can send you to prison a third-degree felony You're looking at a maximum of five years in prison a second-degree felony a maximum of 15 years in prison And then it goes up from there But a misdemeanor you're looking at county jail time and hopefully are possibly probation But the max you can get is time in the county jail It's an important distinction because also once you're convicted of a felony it affects your rights because then you're a convicted felon