Last Updated on Aug 3, 2022 by James W
The attempt to cause bodily harm to a person is called an assault. Verbal threats to cause physical harm is also considered as an assault even if the person isn’t injured but is in danger. Both these types of Assault crimes are punishable, but the punishment differs.
Sadly, it is common for people to assault one another, and a lot of assault related cases are filed every year.
It is important that you understand assault properly so that you can walk the right path in case you or someone close to you has been a victim.
Here are some of the different types of assault crimes to know about:
Simple Assault
This is a misdemeanor which involves the least damage among all the assault types. This assault type involves minor injuries inflicted on a person or threats to cause serious physical damage to a person. Thee include slapping or pushing someone to cause harm.
For first time offenders, jail time may be exempted but they might be ordered to do probation. A $1000 fine may also be charged by the judge.
Physical Assault
Provoking and then imposing bodily harm to a person is called physical assault. Weapons may or may not be used in this type of assault. Examples of committing a physical assault include:
- Hitting with or without an object.
- Causing injuries and bruises.
- Attacking with a weapon.
- Provocation (death threats etc).
- Breaking bones, causing concussions or cuts.
It should be mentioned that you do not need to come into physical contact for it to be considered a physical assault. Death threats is also considered to be a physical assault and may be charged.
The punishment for this type of assault involves a $2000 fine and imprisonment for up to 14 years.
Felonious Assault
It is an attempted or unlawful attack using brute force to cause physical harm to a person. This is a serious offense as it involves the use of weapons to injure the person.
If weapon is used to attack a person but no physical injuries are sustained, it would still be considered a felonious assault. However, even if an attack inflicted without using a weapon causes severe injuries and require the victim to seek medical help then the assault is considered to be felonious.
A first degree felonious assault has a $5000 fine along with 18 months to 6 years of imprisonment. A second degree felonious assault has a $20,000 fine and imprisonment from 2 to 8 years.
This type of assault also typically includes threatening before an action.
Sexual Assault
Another serious type of assault is the sexual assault. In this type of assault, the victim is forcibly assaulted sexually without their consent. The jail time is 8 months to 10 years.
A sexual assault is said to be more severe if the offender uses a gun or a weapon to threaten the victim to injure them and forcing them to engage in any sexual activity. The offender can get a jail time of 18 months to 10 years.
A sexual assault is said to be an aggravated assault if the victim is sexually beaten, abused or put in danger of dying as a result of a sexual assault. Jail time for this degree of sexual assault is 10 to 30 years and the person is marked as an offended for life in most cases. If you’ve been falsely accused of a sexual assualt, you can check this link here to seek help of a criminal defense attorney who can help you defend your case.
Verbal Assault
Any threats made to physically harm a person that leaves the victim mentally disturbed is also an assault. It’s a non physical assault but still has consequences because it causes psychological disturbance to the victim.
Verdict
These are some of the most common types of assaults that are done on an everyday basis around the globe. It is important for victims to file charges as soon as they can so that they can get compensated and prevent such occurrences from happening again in the future.
Note: Remember that the punishment for assault like many other crimes largely depend on where the case is fought as punishments differ from state to state.
