Each academic institution sets penalties for plagiarism. Typically, penalties become more stringent as the student advances through the educational system. Penalties can range from a simple warning to suspension or expulsion. College students must comply with the school's academic honesty policies. Professors and researchers who have plagiarized are punished by suspension or termination.
Plagiarism in the news media is a breach of journalism ethics. The newspaper's or television news show's integrity diminishes when a reporter fails to acknowledge a source. The organization's credibility is also undermined. When a journalist is accused of plagiarism, suspension is likely to occur while charges are investigated.
Plagiarism is theft; though mostly a misdemeanor -- that can result in fines from $100 to $50,000 and a year in prison -- it can be a felony under some state and federal laws. "For example, if a plagiarist copies and earns more than $2,500 from copyrighted material, he or she may face up to $250,000 in fines and up to ten years in jail," states plagiarism.org.
There can be many unfavorable consequences of plagiarism on the personal level. Being labeled a plagiarist can be embarrassing; you may be viewed as a cheater or fraudulent person; this is not how a student would want his professors to remember him. Plagiarism could also affect your career. Potential employers may feel that a student who would steal another author's work might also steal company information.