In the UK, things are either legal, or illegal. What are all the things in america like federal crime, felonies etc?
The net effect is probably the same as in the UK. There are just several levels of lawmaking bodies in the US, with slightly different jurisdictions.
Most major crimes – murder, robbery, etc. – are covered by state laws, which mean they vary from state to state. Felonies are usually tried under state law.
Federal law usually are for crimes that don’t take place in any one state (to be clear – a serial killer who kills in more than one state can be tried in either or both jurisdictions. What I mean is something like mail fraud – e.g., swindling someone in New Jersey when you live in Maine). Federal law also rules interstate commerce.
There are also local ordinances – parking violations, permit requirements, zoning, etc.
I’m sure the legal system in the UK is just a wee bit more complex than that.
Anyway, the US has a fairly complex set of political subdivisions and knowing how they relate may help. States have a lot of autonomy which is one of the things that makes the US somewhat unique. The US consitution states that things not specifically set out in the constitution are left up to the states to decide. States are further broken down by individual city governments, laws and law enforcement and county/parish governments that have jurisdiction outside of incorporated towns.
A good example state vs federal jurisdiction is ordinary murder, this is no federal law against it*. Each state has a muder law so prosecution for muder normally takes place at the state level.
*Some very specific types of murders such as assasination of the president or muder for the purpose of terroism are federal crimes but these are actually pretty recent developments.
A felony is just a distinction in the serousness of a crime. IIRC a felony is a crime that may result in a prison sentance and/or loss of civil rights. Petty crimes are alled misdemeanors.
There are some wierd overlaps too. One federal law revokes a specific civil right if a person is convicted of a specific misdemeanor crime at the state level.