Indirect contempt of court is when a person defies or breaks a judge's orders outside of the courtroom. Essentially, the incident did not happen in the courtroom in front of the judge. If it happened in front of the judge, it would be direct contempt. Any order that a judge makes in court that is broken can be charged as a criminal offense in its own right and the offense would carry this charge. A person can get a cash fine and/or jail time for indirect contempt of court. The amount of the fine and length of the jail time can vary considerably.
All indirect contempt of court charges are considered criminal offenses, but some can be actual felonies as opposed to misdemeanors. If a person does not have due notice or it cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the person was aware of the order prohibiting a specific action they may not be held criminally liable for the first occurence.