If you have been charged with assault or assault and battery, you are not alone. Assault and aggravated assault are the most common violent crimes committed in the state of Colorado.

But what does assault and battery mean? You often hear “assault and battery” charges lumped together, but each charge has a separate definition and applies to different situations. Moreover, each charge has serious consequences under Colorado law,

Many people use the terms “assault” and “battery” interchangeably. Often these two words are even lumped together in one phrase – “assault and battery” – to describe criminal physical attacks.

Colorado law, however, considers these two words distinct from each other, and has different charges and punishments for the two crimes. To make matters even more confusing, the historical distinction of these two terms has actually been reversed under