720 ILCS 5/12-3.3 – Aggravated Domestic Battery
This law makes it a serious crime to badly hurt or strangle someone you live with or have a close relationship with.
This Illinois law says that if a person hurts or strangles someone in their family or household badly enough to cause serious injury or permanent harm, it’s called aggravated domestic battery. It is a felony crime that comes with jail time and other legal consequences.
(a) If someone commits a domestic battery and causes serious injury, permanent damage, or visible scarring, they are guilty of aggravated domestic battery.
(a-5) If someone commits a domestic battery and strangles another person, this is also aggravated domestic battery. For this law, “strangle” means intentionally stopping a person from breathing normally or cutting off their blood flow by putting pressure on their throat or neck, or by blocking their nose or mouth.
(b) Sentencing: Aggravated domestic battery is a Class 2 felony. Anyone convicted must go to jail for at least 60 straight days, even if they get probation. If someone is convicted of this crime more than once, they must go to prison for at least 3 years and up to 14 years, depending on whether it’s a regular or extended sentence.
(c) When someone is convicted of aggravated domestic battery, the judge must tell them that they could face federal criminal charges for owning or using a gun or ammunition under the federal Gun Control Act. The court will make a note that this warning was given.
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