misdemeanorize
verbEtymology From misdemeanor + -ize.
1
Rare To reclassify (an offense) as a misdemeanor.
- ... Control Act were Federal penalties for marijuana possession reduced and steps taken to de-excalate and misdemeanorize the more serious criminal status of marijuana possession and sale.1974, Addictive Diseases - Volume 1, page 327:
- to constrain those who don't comply, how else could that new situation be described other than as having “criminalized” non-attendance? Misdemeanorized?2011, What's All The Fuss About, Military Home Schooling:
2 more examples
- 2012 Stand-your-ground the rule in state, courts affirm Calguns Probably no more than when a charge gets misdemeanorized or changed at a prelim. hearing, then goes on to trial.
- Brown got further with the new jail than any of his predecessors because he could preach the touchy-feely gospel of anti-recidivism better than they could. But with jail booking rates for drug-related offenses plummeting by 50 percent in response to Prop. 47, which misdemeanor-ized many crimes previously charged as felonies, even God-fearing right-wingers from North County have adopted a sternly skeptical “verify but trust” attitude with Brown, rather than the other way around.2015, When Good Dogs Do Bad Things, Santa Barbara Independent:
- Related terms
- misdemeanant, misdemeanorization, criminalize, felonize, outlaw