Pennsylvania Assault and Battery Victim Attorneys

Assault and battery crimes can be prosecuted as misdemeanors or as felonies under Pennsylvania state law. On average, there are about 50,000 violent crimes per year in the state, of which about 29,000 or so involve assault. Bear in mind that state law construes assault and battery as separate crimes. Assault involves intent to physically hurt another person or to conduct violence. Battery involves the commission of an act of violence or another physically aggressive act.

Pennsylvania considers assault and battery against certain protected individuals to be particularly egregious crimes, worthy of harsher sentences. For instance, certain assault victims such as minors, police officers or firefighters acting in the commission of their public duties, pregnant women, and elderly citizens can carry more severe penalties.

Another factor that the PA justice system considers important in meting out justice in assault and battery cases is whether or not the defendant concurrently committed some other crime. For instance, if an individual assaulted a Philadelphia bank teller in the process of committing a bank robbery, punishment for this crime might be greater than if the defendant had simply assaulted the teller absent another criminal context. Another factor often weighed is the intent of the aggressor. If the defendant intended to inflict harm (not necessarily serious harm but any harm at all), then the state will likely judge him or her more harshly.

In terms of seeking compensation, in addition to holding responsible the persons who committed a crime, in some cases the owner of the property can also be held accountable for criminal activity that takes place on their property. For example, a business owes a duty to take prudent steps in response to a history of criminal activity on or around their premises. One such step could be to provide security guards, security cameras and/or adequate lighting. If you believe that a property owner or business owner failed to take appropriate steps to make their place of business safe for you, and this resulted in harm to you, consider consulting a Pennsylvania assault victim attorney to determine what rights you may have against that property owner or business.

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