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How to Know When Online Harassment Is Considered a Legal Case

When you experience a situation in-person or online wherein an individual makes you feel bad because they begin to threaten or provoke you, then what they’re doing can be classified as harassment. If you feel like someone is intentionally causing you emotional distress, then, depending on the gravity of the situation, you could call it a crime and take legal actions to stop them.

While common harassment cases like stalking, hate crime, and sexual assault are obviously criminal cases, harassment in the online world can often be more complicated to decipher. Unfortunately, you can find plenty of anonymous users lurking on various social media platforms, making you their potential target for cyberbullying.

Experiencing harassment online doesn’t mean they won’t go unpunished because they can still be treated the same by the law. If you’re experiencing harassment and fear for your safety and welfare, then you should hire a Boston criminal lawyer to come to your aid. Keep reading below to find out more information about social media harassment and its repercussions. 

Types of Criminal Harassments

When you come face-to-face with a person criminally harassing you, their action can be categorized as a misdemeanor or felony. The difference between them lies in the severity of their offense and the type of harassment involved.

A misdemeanor involves a person threatening you that you start to worry about your safety. On the other hand, a felony is when someone threatens to inflict physical harm or even kill you. If you want to ensure that the situation doesn’t get worse, you should hire a criminal lawyer to help you go about your case.

Due to the turnout of events in previous years over social media harassment turning into heinous crimes exceeding cyberbullying and online threats, legislators learned to establish better solutions. Their goal is to focus on electronic harassment and keep people accountable for their actions and words online to avoid grave consequences.  

Charges for Social Media Harassment

In-person or online harassment should never be taken lightly, and the government makes sure each crime is treated seriously. If you’re living in MA, a person initiating criminal harassment can face up to $1,000 and 2.5 years in jail. 

If a harasser reaches second and subsequent offenses, their imprisonment can reach up to 10 years. It goes to show how severe social media harassment is and the consequences they entail for each victim that a Massachusetts criminal lawyer supports.

No one is ever truly safe from the effects of harassment because it can impact you emotionally, mentally, and physically. An individual proven guilty for online harassment may need to go through psychological counseling, besides facing charges and jail time.

Fortunately, the state of MA strives to protect its residents by implementing anti-bullying rules in plenty of schools to keep the students safe at all times. While the penalties for children are less severe and considered non-criminal, they will be subject to suspension or banning from specific school activities. Meanwhile, experiencing cyberbullying of legal age could land anyone in court for further proceedings.

Conclusion

Harassment of all forms should never be tolerated, whether it’s a legal crime or not. Misdemeanor and felony, while they involve varying levels of harassment, can still be handled accordingly, with the assistance of a Boston criminal defense lawyer on your side. When a legal professional works with you, they will make sure that your case goes in your favor and the person harassing you will receive the consequences they deserve.  

Are you looking to hire a Boston criminal defense lawyer to represent you against online unlawful harassment? The Fernandez Firm is a legal company that tackles all kinds of criminal defense for our clients in need. Get in touch with us today to book an appointment!