Assault Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assault - Term Paper Example Assault is divided into categories by the crime law, and police or court officials have the power to use force for arresting the offenders committing assault. While some states in United States continue to separate assault from battery, both are commonly combined under a single assault statue according to US common law system. (FreeAdvice, 2011). Simple and aggravated assault form two main categories of assault. Simple assault occurs when an offender puts another person in fear of receiving serious bodily harm or actually causes any kind of harm to that person, while aggravated assault involves particular circumstances that demonstrate profound defiance or disrespect for the value of human life. Aggravated assault also involves reckless threatening of harm or actual physical attack on the person who is at the receiving end, but it has to committed against a member who belongs from an influential or a protected class. A simple case of assault is upgraded into aggravated assault if cer tain facts inform the court officials that the assault is committed against a police officer, teacher, judge, or any person who performs supreme duties for the public. Some relief is provided regarding the rate of assault in US by the statistical records of Uniform Crime Report, January-June, 2010. Statistical data indicates that â€Å"law enforcement agencies throughout the Nation reported a decrease of 6.2 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to their attention for the first 6 months of 2010.† (The FBI, 2010). These violent crimes included assaults, rapes, and murder. This decrease is reported when compared with figures reported for the same time in 2009. This decrease in the rate of violent crimes in US is also supported by facts and figures provided by US National Crime Victimization Survey, 2009. â€Å"The overall victimization rate for violent crimes declined from 19.3 to 17.1 victimizations per 1,000 persons between 2008 and 2009.† (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010). Basically, the decreasing rate of simple assault has contributed to the decline in overall violent crime rate. There are myriad impacts of assault on an individual and the community. It is an established fact that victims of child molestation suffer from long-term affects of mental disturbances and they are also often unable to connect the brutal abuse to the hardships experienced by them all their lives. Such people who are sexually abused by any of their relatives in their childhoods often become introverts in their adult lives. They even have to deal with the consequences of low self-esteem and poor confidence, and both of these things play a vital role in a person’s professional life. Anger, aggression, and depression problems are commonly found in people who have been repeatedly sexually abused in the childhood. Sexual assault can also induce an individual in turning towards alcohol and prescription medicines for seeking relief. Alcohol dependency is t hus gradually developed and this consequently, leads to the rapid development of antisocial behavior. In many cases of drug abuse, childhood sexual assault forms one of the most common factors regarding the psychology behind drug abuse. Sexual maladjustment also forms a common grave consequence of the sexual assault. Even if someone is harassed or