Assault and battery charges will prove to differ in each particular State in the United States. Assault and battery are often two terms that are used separately in certain contexts of the law, or together to describe a particular action. When used in conjunction, assault and battery charges will oftentimes be classified as felony crimes and be given various degrees of severity.
The degrees of assault and battery charges will depend on each particular State, though it can be generalized that the worst assault and battery charge is in the first degree. First degree assault and battery charges may include the issuance of a threat of violence, engaging in the physical violent act using a deadly weapon, and intentionally causing physical harm to another person.
Second degree assault and battery charges may comprise similar facets of first degree assault and battery, though the harm to the person was not extensive or a deadly weapon was not used. Third degree assault and battery charges may be the least severe, where a person makes the threat of violence, engages the act, but indirectly causes harm to the victim
