What is an accessory after the fact?

A common charge in criminal procedure television shows, like “Law and Order,” is accessory after the fact. In short, an accessory after the fact is someone who, knowing that a felon has already committed a crime, helps the felon avoid arrest or trial. For example, if your friend knocked off a 7/11 and you hid him in the basement to help him avoid the police, you’d be an accessory after the fact. To be guilty as an accessory after the fact, however, the criminal actor must have committed a felony; you cannot be an accessory after the fact to a misdemeanor offense.