Under this statute, false imprisonment is a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on whether you used force, violence, or menace to falsely imprison the victim. When force or violence are not part of the alleged crime, false imprisonment is a misdemeanor.False imprisonment is the act of restraining, detaining, or confining another person without their permission, usually through the use of violence or threat. In California, False Imprisonment is generally charged as a misdemeanor. A violent crimes lawyer at our firm will represent you against assault, aggravated assault, battery, or aggravated battery charges. McMiller, 2010 U.S. App. Some DV cases are misdemeanor crimes that can result in up to one year in county jail and fines. A person commits false imprisonment when they engage in the act of restraint on another person which confines that person in a restricted area. Typically, but not always, the restraining order relates to domestic violence issues.