Crimes Against Persons

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA • WWW.AG.VIRGINIA.GOV

For more information about Virginia laws that affect teens,

visit www.virginiarules.org

© Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Lesson goal
To provide an introductory overview of crimes against
persons, which involve direct physical harm or force
applied to another person.

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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Students will learn:
• The types of crimes against persons

• The penalties associated with certain crimes against

persons

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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Crimes against persons
Crimes against persons involve direct physical harm or force
applied to another person.

Homicide is the most serious crime in this category, but

threatening someone and even making someone fearful that he
or she will be harmed are also crimes against persons.
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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Examples
Other crimes against persons include:

• Rape • Extortion
• Assault with a weapon • Stalking
• Malicious wounding • Assault and battery
• Robbery Subhead • Hazing
• Kidnapping • Threatening someone

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Assault and battery
Assault is defined as an attempt or offer, with force and
violence, to do some bodily injury to another. You can be
charged with assault even if you did not make physical contact
with the other person.
Battery is defined as actual physical, harmful contact with
another. Several different types of assault and battery are
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recognized in Virginia law.

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Assault and battery, cont.
A simple assault, or assault and battery, is an unlawful
physical attack by one person upon another.
Code of Virginia § 18.2-57 (A))
You can also be charged with assault and battery if you are
part of a “mob,” even if you did not strike the victim during
the attack. Subhead
Code of Virginia § 18.2-38

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Malicious wounding
Malicious wounding is a more serious form of assault
involving the shooting, stabbing, cutting, or wounding of
another person with the intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or
kill that person.
(Code of Virginia § 18.2-51)
This form of assault is punishable as a Class 3 felony.
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However, if the same actions result in the victim’s permanent

and significant physical impairment, the offense is considered
aggravated malicious wounding and is punishable as a Class 2
felony.
(Code of Virginia § 18.2-51.2)
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Intimidation
Intimidation means to make another person fearful of bodily
harm by using threatening words and/or other conduct.

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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Harassment
Harassment means to repeatedly annoy or attack a person or
group in such a way as to cause anxiety or fear for safety.

Several different types of harassment are against Virginia law.

It is unlawful to publish a person’s name or photograph with
identifying information, suchSubhead
as social security number, driver’s
license number, personal identification number (PIN), credit or
debit card number, or address, with the intent to coerce,
intimidate, or harass another person.

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Harassment, cont.
This offense is a Class 1 misdemeanor.
(Code of Virginia § 18.2-186.4)

If the victim is a law enforcement officer, the offense is a Class

6 felony and there is a mandatory minimum term of
confinement of six months. Subhead

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Forms of harassment
Prank telephone calls are a form of harassment. The law states:
Any person who uses obscene, vulgar, profane, or indecent
language or threatens any illegal or immoral act with intent to
coerce, intimidate, or harass any person on a telephone or
through a text message is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.
(Code of Virginia § 18.2-427) Subhead

It is a Class 1 misdemeanor to sell or send pictures of another

person, who is naked, with the intent to harass that person. (Code
of Virginia § 18.2-386.2

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Forms of harassment, cont.
If a person calls, pages or texts another person with the intent to
annoy that person, both the person making the call and any other
person who allows use of his/her telephone are guilty of a Class
3 misdemeanor. (Code of Virginia § 18.2-429)

It is also illegal to harass someone

Subheadusing a computer or computer
network. If a person has intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass
and communicates obscene or indecent language or threatens an
illegal or immoral act, the person is guilty of a Class 1
misdemeanor.
(Code of Virginia § 18.2-152.7:1)
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Extortion
Extortion means obtaining money or property from another
person by using or threatening to use violence or other criminal
means to cause harm to a person, or by threatening harm to that
person’s reputation, or that person’s property. Extortion is a
Class 5 felony.
(Code of Virginia § 18.2-59)
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Extortion can also involve threats to accuse someone of

committing an offense, and thereby obtaining money or property
from that person.

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Hate crimes
Hate Crimes are crimes motivated by the offender’s bias.
Determining the offender’s motivation is difficult unless the
offender admits that his or her actions were motivated by bias
against race, religious conviction, color, or national origin.
It is important to recognize that penalties for some crimes are
Subhead
increased when it is determined that the offense was motivated
by such bias.

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Hate crimes, cont.
Hate crimes are defined in Virginia law as:

(i) A criminal act committed against a person or his property

with the specific intent of instilling fear or intimidation in the
individual against whom the act is perpetrated because of race,
religion, or ethnic origin or that is committed for the purpose of
restraining that person from Subhead
exercising his rights under the
Constitution or laws of this Commonwealth or of the United
States

(ii) Any illegal act directed against any persons or their property
because of their race, religion, or national origin, and

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Hate crimes, cont.
(iii) All other incidents, as determined by law enforcement
authorities, intended to intimidate or harass any individual or
group because of race, religion, or national origin.
(Code of Virginia § 52-8.5(C))

Virginia law requires law enforcement

Subhead agencies to report all hate
crimes to the Virginia State Police. In 2014, 128 hate crime
offenses were reported; 52.3 percent of these were assault
offenses; and 36.7 percent were vandalism / damage of property
offenses.

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Hazing
Hazing means to endanger the health or safety of a student or
students or to inflict bodily injury on a student or students, either
recklessly or intentionally, in connection with or as part of
initiation or admission into a club, organization, association,
fraternity, sorority, or student body.

It also applies to activities that act as a condition for continued

Subhead It does not matter whether
membership in these organizations.
the student or students so endangered or injured participated
voluntarily in the relevant activity.

Someone found guilty of hazing is guilty of a Class 1

misdemeanor.
(Code of Virginia § 18.2-56)
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Hazing, cont.
In addition, someone who receives bodily injury from hazing has
the right to sue the person or persons found guilty of hazing in
civil court. In addition to criminal and civil penalties, any
student who commits hazing is subject to disciplinary sanctions
at his/her school, college, or university. The student may be
expelled or subject to other disciplinary action.
Subhead
(Code of Virginia § 18.2-56)

Furthermore, school boards are required to include rules against

hazing in their codes of student conduct.
(Code of Virginia § 22.1-279.6 (B))

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Bullying
Bullying is not considered a crime, but the acts that are most
often associated with bullying are criminal offenses.
These include:
• Threat • Assault and battery
• Harassment • Robbery
• Extortion Subhead • Hazing

The seriousness of bullying is recognized in Virginia law, which

requires school boards to include rules against bullying, hazing,
and the use of profane or obscene language or conduct in their
codes of student conduct. (Code of Virginia § 22.1-279.6 (C))

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Review
Refer students to the Activity Handout, Crimes Against Persons
Review.

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OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

CRIMES AGAINST PERSONS Subhead
Review and recap

You have learned:

• The types of crimes against persons.

• The penalties associated with certain crimes against

persons. Subhead

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL • COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA • WWW.AG.VIRGINIA.GOV

For more information about Virginia laws that affect teens,

visit www.virginiarules.org

© Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia