Aggravated battery in criminal law is a more serious form of battery

Battery (crime)

Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...

, and is considered a felony

Felony

A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...

. Aggravated battery can be punished by a fine or more than a year in prison in some countries. Simple battery which is a misdemeanor in some countries can only be punished by less than one year in jail in those countries, or by a fine.

Acts most often defined under aggravated battery are:

• use of a deadly weapon

• battery in which serious bodily injury occurs, and

• battery against a child, woman or police officer.