Hazing
A.R.S. 13-1215 — a class 1 misdemeanor, a class 4 felony if someone dies, and no charge for the one who calls
In Arizona, a person commits hazing who intentionally, knowingly or recklessly, to initiate, admit or affiliate a minor or student into an organization, or to continue or raise that person's standing in it, causes, coerces or forces the minor or student to engage in or endure:
- Sexual humiliation or brutality, including forced nudity.
- Conduct reasonably calculated to cause severe mental distress, including activities calculated to lead the person to harm themselves or others.
- Consuming food, liquid, alcohol, a drug or another substance that poses a substantial risk of death, physical injury or emotional harm.
- Restraint, confinement in a small space, or significant sleep deprivation.
- Physical brutality or conditions that pose a substantial risk of death or physical injury, such as whipping, beating, paddling, branding, excessive exercise or unhealthy exposure to the elements.
| The conduct | The grade |
|---|---|
| The conductHazing | The gradeClass 1 misdemeanor |
| The conductHazing that results in a person's death | The gradeClass 4 felony |
| The conductHazing planning or organizing | The gradeClass 2 misdemeanor |
Consent is no defense. It is not a defense that the person hazed acquiesced or consented, expressly or by implication, or that the organization or the school approved the conduct, or that it was traditional and customary.
Calling for help. A person is not charged with hazing, or a crime arising from it, where the evidence came solely from taking a minor or student having a medical emergency to police, campus security or a health care facility, or from promptly and in good faith reporting the medical event to police, 911, campus security or emergency personnel, where the person gave a name and the location if physically able, stayed until help arrived, and cooperated.
Every public school, community college and public university in Arizona adopts, posts and enforces a hazing prevention policy, printed in every student handbook, stating that hazing, soliciting it and aiding it are prohibited and that the victim's consent is no defense to a violation of the policy.
Reasonable and customary athletic, law enforcement or military training, contests and events are outside the crime. A person who renounces the plan in writing, or takes active steps to stop it, is not charged with planning or organizing. Whether conduct was hazing is a question for a court and for a licensed Arizona attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- A.R.S. 13-1215 — Hazing; classification; definition
- A.R.S. 13-1216 — Hazing planning or organizing; classification
- A.R.S. 15-2301 — Hazing prevention policies; definitions
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Arizona attorney.