What is a second-degree battery charge?

Second-degree battery is an offense in which the offender inflicts serious bodily injury against another person intentionally, according to the Louisiana State statutes. This statute does not, however, apply to medical personnel who inflict injury to a patient after obtaining that patient's consent.

Serious bodily injury refers to an injury that involves extreme physical pain, obvious disfigurement, unconsciousness, loss or impairment of a body part, or a substantial risk of death. The penalty for this crime in Louisiana is a fine of up to $2,000 or imprisonment for up to eight years. The prison sentence can involve hard labor and may be combined with the fine.