Hazing in the first degree · as in force on May 31, 2026
§ 120.16 Hazing in the first degree.
A person is guilty of hazing in the first degree when, in the course of another person's initiation into or affiliation with any organization, he intentionally or recklessly engages in conduct, including, but not limited to, making physical contact with or requiring physical activity of such other person, which creates a substantial risk of physical injury to such other person or a third person and thereby causes such injury.
Hazing in the first degree is a class A misdemeanor.
A person commits first-degree hazing during another person’s initiation or affiliation with an organization by intentionally or recklessly using conduct—including physical contact or required physical activity—that creates a substantial risk of physical injury and actually causes that injury to the person or someone else. ★ It is a class A misdemeanor.
Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.
This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.