What are the penalties for breaching the peace?

Breach of the peace refers to all types of disorderly conduct that disturbs the public peace. Disturbances can be anything that causes inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to another person by creating risk, harm, or danger. Acts that breach the peace can range from riots, public fighting, threatening acts, assaults to public display of indecent or offensive gestures, extremely loud noises, and obscene language. In most states, peace of the breach is considered a misdemeanor but it can be raised to felony if explosives or deadly weapons are involved or if the target includes a child or an elderly. For misdemeanors, penalties include fine payments from $100 to $1,000, community service, rehabilitation treatment or program such as anger management, imprisonment with a maximum of 30 days, and revoking of the driver’s license. Longer imprisonment and higher amount of fine payments are imposed on individuals charged with felony.

Possible defense that can be used if charged with this offense include involuntary intoxication of alcohol or drug, mental disorder, legal insanity, coercion, and so on. These defenses may be used if you are charged with breaching the peace but you were under the involuntary influence of alcohol or drug, you have a mental disorder, or if you were coerced to act that way. Penalties for breach of the peace were created to help protect the peace of the public and to allow police authorities to arrest people committing breach of the peace without a warrant. If you are involved with such offense, whether misdemeanor or felony, it is imperative that you consult a lawyer who has excellent knowledge on penalties and defense for breach of peace.