misdemeanorize

misdemeanor +‎ -ize

misdemeanorize (third-person singular simple present misdemeanorizes, present participle misdemeanorizing, simple past and past participle misdemeanorized)

1. (transitive, very rare) To reclassify (an offense) as a misdemeanor.
   • 1974, Addictive Diseases - Volume 1, page 327:

     ... 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.

   • 2011, What's All The Fuss About, Military Home Schooling:

     to constrain those who don't comply, how else could that new situation be described other than as having “criminalized” non-attendance? Misdemeanorized?

   • 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.

   • 2015, When Good Dogs Do Bad Things, Santa Barbara Independent:

     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.

• misdemeanant
• misdemeanorization

• criminalize
• felonize
• outlaw