Any willful and unlawful touching, use of force or violence upon the person of another. CPC 242. In other words, if you’ve touched or struck someone without his/her concern, you may be charged with battery.

 

Battery is a broad umbrella term for numerous offenses (ie: sexual battery, battery upon an elder, battery upon a child, battery with force likely to produce great bodily injury, battery resulting in great bodily injury, battery upon spouse or cohabitant, and etc.). The offense of battery is usually coupled with assault (See Assault).

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Conviction of battery may lead to losing your right to bear arms, being subjected to unreasonable searches and seizures, and losing your voting rights.

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Battery may be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. The maximum punishment for a misdemeanor is one-year in jail. Felony battery however is punishable by imprisonment for more than one-year. The punishment for felony battery is dependent on the form of battery itself.