Editing Assault (section)

{{Short description|Physical or verbal attack of another person}}
{{About|the criminal act|tortious aspects of assault|Assault (tort)|other uses|Assault (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|Assailants|the EP|Assailants (EP)|the film|Assailant (film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Criminal law}}
In the terminology of [[law]], an '''assault''' is the act of causing physical harm or [[consent|unwanted]] physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so.<ref>{{cite web|title=Assault and Battery Overview|url=http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/assault-and-battery-overview.html|access-date=18 September 2016|website=criminal.findlaw.com|publisher=criminal.findlaw}}</ref> It is both a [[crime]] and a [[tort]] and, therefore, may result in [[criminal prosecution]], [[civil liability]], or both. Additionally, assault is a criminal act in which a person intentionally causes fear of physical harm or offensive contact to another person.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beyond Rape: An Essay on the Difference between the Presence of Force and the Absence of Consent |url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/clr92&div=58&g_sent=1&casa_token= |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=heinonline.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Garfield |first=Leslie Yalof |date=2009 |title=The Case for a Criminal Law Theory of Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress |url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/crimlbrf5&id=33&div=&collection= |journal=Criminal Law Brief |volume=5 |pages=33}}</ref> Assault can be committed with or without a weapon and can range from physical violence to threats of violence.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=FELSON |first1=RICHARD B. |last2=STEADMAN |first2=HENRY J. |date=February 1983 |title=Situational Factors in Disputes Leading to Criminal Violence |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1983.tb00251.x |journal=Criminology |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=59–74 |doi=10.1111/j.1745-9125.1983.tb00251.x |issn=0011-1384|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Meloy |first1=J. Reid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=szkqEAAAQBAJ&dq=Assault+can+be+committed+with+or+without+a+weapon+and+can+range+from+physical+violence+to+threats+of+violence&pg=PA22 |title=International Handbook of Threat Assessment |last2=Hoffmann |first2=Jens |date=2021 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-094016-4 |language=en}}</ref> Assault is frequently referred to as an attempt to commit [[battery (crime)|battery]], which is the deliberate use of physical [[Force (law)|force]] against another person. The deliberate inflicting of fear, apprehension, or terror is another definition of assault that can be found in several legal systems. Depending on the severity of the offense, assault may result in a fine, imprisonment, or even death.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Reitz |first=Kevin R. |date=February 1993 |title=Sentencing Facts: Travesties of Real-Offense Sentencing |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1229007 |journal=Stanford Law Review |volume=45 |issue=3 |pages=523–573 |doi=10.2307/1229007 |jstor=1229007 |issn=0038-9765|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tyler |first1=Tom R. |last2=Weber |first2=Renee |date=1982 |title=Support for the Death Penalty; Instrumental Response to Crime, or Symbolic Attitude? |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3053531 |journal=Law & Society Review |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=21–45 |doi=10.2307/3053531 |jstor=3053531 |issn=0023-9216|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Generally, the common law definition is the same in criminal and [[Assault (tort)|tort law]].

Traditionally, [[common law]] legal systems have separate definitions for assault and [[Battery (crime)|battery]]. When this distinction is observed, battery refers to the actual bodily contact, whereas assault refers to a credible threat or attempt to cause battery.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Spohn |first1=Cassia |last2=Beichner |first2=Dawn |last3=Davis-Frenzel |first3=Erika |date=May 2001 |title=Prosecutorial Justifications for Sexual Assault Case Rejection: Guarding the "Gateway to Justice" |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/sp.2001.48.2.206 |journal=Social Problems |volume=48 |issue=2 |pages=206–235 |doi=10.1525/sp.2001.48.2.206 |issn=0037-7791|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Some jurisdictions combined the two offenses into a single crime called "assault and battery", which then became widely referred to as "assault".<ref>{{Cite journal |title=14. Criminal Law (Ireland) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2666-075x_ldio_com_16irl14 |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=Annotated Legal Documents on Islam in Europe Online|doi=10.1163/2666-075x_ldio_com_16irl14 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Walby |first1=Sylvia |last2=Allen |first2=Jonathan |date=2004 |title=Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault And Stalking: Findings from The British Crime Survey |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/e649462007-001 |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=PsycEXTRA Dataset|doi=10.1037/e649462007-001 }}</ref> The result is that in many of these jurisdictions, assault has taken on a definition that is more in line with the traditional definition of battery. The legal systems of [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] and [[Scots law]] have never distinguished assault from battery.

Legal systems generally acknowledge that assaults can vary greatly in severity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Britt |first1=Chester L. |last2=Buzawa |first2=Eve S. |last3=Buzawa |first3=Carl G. |date=July 1991 |title=Domestic Violence: The Criminal Justice Response. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2071841 |journal=Contemporary Sociology |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=597 |doi=10.2307/2071841 |jstor=2071841 |issn=0094-3061|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In the [[United States]], an assault can be charged as either a [[misdemeanor]] or a [[felony]]. In [[England and Wales]] and [[Australia]], it can be charged as either [[common assault]], [[assault occasioning actual bodily harm]] (ABH) or [[grievous bodily harm]] (GBH). Canada also has a three-tier system: assault, [[assault causing bodily harm]] and [[aggravated assault]]. Separate charges typically exist for [[sexual assault]]s, [[affray]] and [[Assaulting a constable in the execution of his duty|assaulting a police officer]]. Assault may overlap with an [[attempt]]ed crime; for example, an assault may be charged as [[attempted murder]] if it was done with intent to kill.

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