Criminal law aims to protect people from public harm, maintain social order, support social values, punish those who commit crimes and, above all, to reassure victims of crime. An old definition of crime by William Blackstone is "an act done or omitted in violation of a public law prohibiting or commanding it." However, Frank Schmalleger uses a more descriptive definition which defines a crime as "any act or omission in violation of criminal law, committed without defense or justification, and made punishable by the State in a judicial proceeding." Criminal cases brought before the courts are divided into three main categories: misdemeanors, felonies or treason. Misdemeanors are minor offenses that can be dealt with by fines or prison sentences of less than one year. Felonies are serious crimes that require harsher penalties, such as sentencing to a federal penitentiary. Finally, treason is the violation of allegiance to one's own country, more commonly known as selling out the government.