misprision of felony

Misprision of felony is a legal term used to describe the act of concealing or failing to report knowledge of a felony (a serious crime) that has been committed.

In other words, it is the failure to disclose information about a felony that one has knowledge of and actively concealing it from authorities.

Misprision of felony is considered a crime in itself and can result in legal penalties such as fines or imprisonment, depending on the jurisdiction and the severity of the offense. The rationale behind the crime is to ensure that individuals who have knowledge of serious crimes cannot keep that information secret and that they are held accountable for their failure to report it to authorities.