Many people have associated assault and battery when it comes to criminal charges. Many more, particularly those who’ve watched Law & Order or any of a number of crime shows on TV, have also heard about aggravated crimes, such as aggravated assault or even aggravated battery. The question is just what is an “aggravated” criminal offense?
An aggravated crime is a crime that is available when certain circumstances and conditions are present during and or following a criminal offense. There are many ways in that a crime could be “aggravated”.
There are many factors that may influence whether the crime is aggravated or not. A few of the factors that play a role in this decision include:
– Was there a harmful weapon involved?
– Was physical injury caused due to the criminal behavior?
– Was there a threat made using a deadly weapon?
– Was the dangerous weapon used with the threat?
– Did the accused possess other dangerous weapons while allegedly carrying out the crime?
These are just some of the many factors that may convert a criminal offense from regular to aggravated.
Like assault, an individual can aggravate murder too. Unfortunately, the circumstances which will make a murder aggravated will vary from making additional, less heinous offenses aggravated. The above queries if answered within the affirmative may utilize, but the location and also the situation surrounding the murder would be the key ingredients towards creating a murder charge aggravated.
For instance, if a person is in prison and commits homicide, the murder is recognized as aggravated due to the location. Here, the inmate probably doesn’t get access to explosives or additional dangerous weapons and thus location is virtually all there is to put into practice.
