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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>69835</law_id><section_number>18.2-55.1</section_number><catch_line>Hazing of youth gang members unlawful; criminal liability</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>19.2-392.02</reference><reference>52-28.1</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="18.2">Crimes and Offenses Generally</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="4">Crimes Against the Person</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="4">Assaults and Bodily Woundings</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>It shall be unlawful to cause bodily injury by <span class="dictionary">hazing</span> (i) any member of a criminal street gang as defined in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/18.2-46.1/">18.2-46.1</a>, or (ii) a person seeking to become a member of a youth gang or criminal street gang. Any person found guilty of <span class="dictionary">hazing</span> is guilty of a Class 1 <span class="dictionary">misdemeanor</span>.
		For the purposes of this section, &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">hazing</span>&#x201D; means to recklessly or intentionally endanger the health or safety of a person or to inflict bodily injury on a person in connection with or for the purpose of initiation, admission into or affiliation with or as a condition for continued membership in a youth gang or criminal street gang regardless of whether the person so endangered or injured participated voluntarily in the relevant activity.</p></section></text><history>2004, c. 850; 2005, c. 843.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
