Hazing
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-23a — up to $1,500 for the organization and $1,000 for a member, and consent is no defense
Hazing is any action that recklessly or intentionally endangers a person's health or safety for initiation into, admission to, affiliation with or continued membership in a student organization at an institution of higher education, a fraternity or sorority among them.
Who handles this in Connecticut: legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Connecticut directory.
- It includes requiring indecent exposure, extreme mental stress such as sleep deprivation or extended isolation, confinement in small, unventilated, unsanitary or unlit spaces, any assault, and requiring the ingestion of any substance or physical activity that could harm health or safety.
- The victim's consent, implied or express, is not a defense.
- An organization that hazes faces a fine of not more than $1,500 and loses its rights and privileges at the institution for not less than one year; a member faces a fine of not more than $1,000.
- Prosecution for any crime, and any civil remedy, remain available as well.
Sources for this section (1)
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53-23a — Hazing
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Connecticut attorney.