Misprision of felony

Misprision of felony is a common law offense that criminalizes knowingly failing to report a felony to the appropriate authorities. Historically it applied broadly, though courts recognized exceptions for close family members and situations where disclosure would force self-incrimination. The offense has been formally abolished in England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and New South Wales, mostly as part of broader criminal law reforms that eliminated the older felony-misdemeanor distinction. It survives in United States federal law under 18 U.S.C. 4, enacted in 1790, though modern federal courts require proof of active concealment rather than mere silence, and prosecutions are now largely confined to people holding official positions with a special duty to report, such as government employees or corrections officers. Where misprision was abolished elsewhere, legislatures often replaced it with narrower statutes aimed at specific misconduct, such as obstruction of justice provisions.