Crimes in Louisiana are divided into two categories: misdemeanors and felonies. Misdemeanors being the less serious crimes and felonies the more serious ones. But, if you look up the statute defining a crime, it won’t outright say whether it is a misdemeanor or felony, so how do you know which it is? It’s based on the sentencing.
According to revised statute 14:2, a “Felony” is any crime for which an offender may be sentenced to death or imprisonment at hard labor. Everything else is a misdemeanor. So, if the crime describes a sentence as “with or without hard labor.”