Hazing involves compelling someone to endure a potentially harmful experience for the purpose of joining a group. Because hazing is often a means of initiating new members into student organizations, like fraternities and sororities, you might expect that it's exclusive to colleges.
That's not necessarily the case. Hazing can also occur at the high school level. According to surveys of US students, about 1.5 million American high schoolers experience some form of hazing every year. In addition, almost half of all incoming first-year students at US colleges report having already experienced hazing in some capacity.
Students who participate in hazing incidents are often punished harshly. Schools penalize students who engage in hazing to protect other students and show they take these incidents seriously.
The consequences can be serious if your child has been accused of hazing at a Rhode Island high school. One of the best ways to protect your child's future now is to enlist the help of legal professionals qualified to handle this type of case.
At the Lento Law Firm, our Student Defense Team is prepared to defend a student accused of hazing at a high school in Rhode Island. Learn more about how we can help you and your child navigate this experience by submitting your information through our online form or calling us at 888-535-3686.
What Constitutes Hazing in Rhode Island?
It's important to understand that individual school districts and private schools may define hazing according to their own terms. They don't necessarily have to adhere to Rhode Island's legal definition of hazing when establishing their anti-hazing policies and procedures.
That said, many may at least refer to the legal definition when establishing anti-hazing policies. It can provide a general idea of what may and may not qualify as hazing in Rhode Island.
According to Rhode Island's hazing law, hazing involves the following elements:
- The incident involves initiation into a student organization
- Participants in the incident willfully or recklessly jeopardize the physical or mental health of one or more people
According to the law, common examples of hazing include:
- Whipping
- Branding
- Forced calisthenics
- Beating
- Forced exposure to the elements
- Forced consumption of alcohol or drugs
It's worth noting that Rhode Island's anti-hazing law addresses an issue that many other states don't. In Rhode Island, anyone who qualifies as a “school official” and is found to have permitted hazing to occur may face criminal charges.
High school officials in Rhode Island may be particularly inclined to report, investigate, and penalize cases of hazing. They know that failing to do so could put them at risk of legal trouble.
Technically, it's not a criminal case when a high school investigates an alleged hazing incident. However, it's wise to treat the matter the same way you'd treat a criminal case.
That means hiring a lawyer. You simply need to be confident your attorneys are qualified to handle the unique elements of a high school investigation. That's precisely the type of lawyers you'll find at the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team.
Common Forms of Hazing at Rhode Island High Schools
Surveys indicate the most common forms of hazing in the US are:
- Drinking games
- Being required to sing or chant in public
- Being compelled to drink large quantities of alcohol
- Being compelled to drink large quantities of non-alcoholic beverages
- Being woken up in the middle of the night by other members of a student organization
- Being verbally berated by other members of a student organization
This information comes from surveys of primarily college students. Due to factors like lack of access to alcohol, high school students might engage in other forms of hazing more frequently.
The form of hazing you're accused of participating in can influence the consequences you may face. For example, if you're accused of waking someone else up in the middle of the night, the penalties a school may consider would likely be less severe than those they'd consider for a case of hazing that resulted in injuries.
That's not to say you should assume the penalties will be minor when you or your child learn of hazing accusations. It's always wise to get in touch with professionals who have experience defending students in cases like these. At the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team, we're prepared to offer the defense you need right now.
Potential Consequences of Hazing Accusations for Rhode Island High School Students
The penalties a student who's been accused of hazing may face can range widely depending on many factors. Such factors include the nature of the hazing incident, whether the student has been in trouble before, and the individual school's anti-hazing policies.
Common examples of penalties for hazing at the high school level include:
- Probation
- Suspension
- Expulsion
- Loss of certain privileges for a student organization
The long-term effects of such penalties could follow a student throughout life. For example, being suspended or expelled for participating in a hazing incident could prevent you from attending the university you planned on, thus derailing your future plans.
Although unlikely, it's possible that future employers might even learn that a school disciplined you for hazing. A potential employer may not be inclined to hire you upon learning this information.
Don't ignore the matter when facing hazing allegations. Our attorneys with the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team can help you guard against consequences that might have long-term ripple effects.
Due Process and High School Hazing Investigations
The topic of due process, as it applies to high school hazing investigations, is vague and complex. In criminal cases, police, prosecutors, and judges must abide by the rules of due process. This generally means informing someone of their rights and ensuring their rights aren't violated throughout all stages of a criminal case.
High school investigations are different. Although high school investigators and administrators can't break the law, they may not always strictly adhere to the rules of due process. For example, a school might:
- Notify a student they've been accused of hazing without giving them enough time to put together a defense
- Notify a student they've been accused of hazing without informing them of their rights, such as the right to hire attorneys
- Decide whether a student participated in an act of hazing without showing enough evidence to meet the burden of proof
Any Rhode Island high school student accused of hazing might understandably be concerned throughout the investigation. In this state, they may not even realize when their rights are being violated.
That's one of the many benefits of hiring lawyers. If it appears school investigators or administrators are violating your rights, members of our Student Defense Team at the Lento Law Firm are prepared to speak out.
What Not to Do When Someone Accuses You of Hazing at a Rhode Island High School
Being stressed in the days and weeks after learning of hazing allegations can also cause a student to make errors that might negatively influence their case's outcome. Examples of what NOT to do when you've been accused of hazing include:
- Discussing the allegations with anyone socially
- Posting about the matter on social media
- Discussing the topic with anyone else who may have been accused of participating in the incident
- Confronting your accuser
- Agreeing to participate in hearings or interviews without a lawyer present
Avoiding such mistakes is another benefit of hiring attorneys with the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team now. We help our clients better understand what they should and shouldn't do when facing hazing accusations, helping them avoid errors that might otherwise harm their cases.
We Defend Students Accused of Hazing Through Rhode Island
The Lento Law Firm Student Defense Team is available to defend high school students accused of hazing in and around the following key cities and metro areas:
- Providence
- Newport
- Warwick
- Cranston
- Westerly
- Pawtucket
- Narragansett
That's not a complete list! If you live anywhere in Rhode Island, and you or your child are a high school student accused of hazing, we're prepared to offer an aggressive defense.
Potential Defenses for Rhode Island High School Students Accused of Hazing
The right defense strategy for one student accused of hazing may not be the ideal strategy for defending another. We thoroughly understand this at the Lento Law Firm. It's the reason our Student Defense Team carefully tailors our defense strategies to the specific needs of individual clients.
We can't determine how we'll handle your case without knowing the details. However, we can offer the following samples of defense strategies in high school hazing cases. They can give you a sense of how we may handle yours:
- Showing lack of evidence: Although the burden of proof in a high school investigation may not be as high as it is in a criminal case, a school should still be able to prove a student engaged in hazing before penalizing them. Lawyers can point out holes in a school's story or cite a lack of evidence for reasons not to penalize a student.
- Proving an alibi: A student may have an alibi if they were falsely accused of hazing. Sometimes, false accusations involve cases of mistaken identity. In other instances, they may occur due to grudges among students. Regardless, if a student has a valid alibi, placing them somewhere else at the time of a hazing incident, their attorneys can help them prove this.
- Arguing a student wasn't a participant: Being present in a setting where hazing is occurring isn't the same as directly participating in it. Many hazing incidents occur at parties and other social settings with large numbers of attendees. It's possible a student who was accused of hazing was present for a hazing incident but functioned as a witness rather than a participant.
- Showing an incident was staged: Although doing so is unwise and may still involve a violation of school rules in some cases, it's becoming increasingly common for students to film staged hazing incidents and post the videos online. A student who appears in such a video could get in trouble if high school administrators or other such parties see it and don't realize the incident being depicted is staged. If a hazing incident wasn't genuine, lawyers can help make a case showing this.
Again, those are only a few examples. The best way to learn more about how a lawyer may defend you is to contact our team and start discussing your case sooner rather than later.
Attorneys Can Help Negotiate Deals in Rhode Island High School Hazing Cases
Negotiating a deal with a school is another way in which attorneys with the Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team could potentially assist a student in a case involving hazing accusations.
Plea deals often occur in criminal cases. When a defendant negotiates a plea deal or bargain, they agree to enter a guilty plea, sometimes to a lesser charge than the one they're facing. In exchange, the sentencing they receive is less harsh than the sentencing they might otherwise receive.
Some schools are open to similar options. Our lawyers can work with the investigators and administrators involved in your case, showing how factors like lack of previous disciplinary issues indicate penalties should be lenient.
Rhode Island Student Defense Attorneys Can Help With a Hazing Case
Being accused of hazing at a Rhode Island high school has the potential to seriously impact a student's future. Hiring a lawyer is very wise in these circumstances. Our lawyers can assist by:
- Reviewing the details of a case and answering questions
- Explaining potential legal strategies
- Attending meetings, interviews, and hearings with a student
- Gathering evidence to support a student's story
- Identifying weaknesses in the school's story
- Explaining how a student can abide by all relevant requirements throughout the process
At the Lento Law Firm, our Student Defense Team offers a unique service not available through many traditional criminal defense firms. We understand the unique ways high schools can handle these types of cases, ensuring we're particularly qualified to represent you. Get started today by contacting us through our online form or calling us at 888-535-3686.
