Simple versus aggravated assault and battery in Illinois

People in Illinois get into disagreements with others from time to time. It is a common part of life to not get along with everyone all the time. What is different, though, is how people resolve their disagreements. Some may just keep silent and keep everything inside. Others may want to talk about it or end up yelling at the other person. Some people resort to violence though and either threaten violence or in fact hit and harm the other people. If people choose to resolve their disagreement in that way, they could face assault and battery charges.

These are serious charges as well and can carry significant penalties if convicted, but there are two different kinds of assaults and batteries. One is simple assault and battery. These occur when people either threaten physical harm (assault) or strike others and cause physical harm (battery). These are generally both misdemeanors, involve only relatively minimal harm and generally do not involve the use of dangerous weapons.

However, sometimes people are charged with aggravated assault. People will be charged with this crime for many different reasons. These include but are not limited to: causing severe injuries, disfigurement, disability; using weapons during the battery such as a firearm or explosives; harming certain individuals such as children or police officers and other circumstances as well. Aggravated assault convictions also carry more serious consequences than simple assault and battery and are oftentimes felonies.

There are many people in Illinois who are charged with assault, battery and aggravated assault. If convicted the consequences depend on the severity of the injuries and other factors, but they are serious. Experienced criminal defense attorneys understand the potential defenses available and may be a useful resource as people go through the criminal justice process.