Aggravation (legal concept)
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Aggravation is a legal concept, which Black's Law Dictionary defines as: "Any circumstance attending the commission of a crime or tort which increases its guilt or enormity or adds to its injurious consequences, but which is above and beyond the essential constituents of the crime or tort itself." For example, aggravated assault is usually differentiated from simple assault by the offender's intent (i.e., to murder, to rape etc.), the extent of the injury to the victim, or the use of a deadly weapon. An aggravating circumstance is a kind of attendant circumstance and the opposite of an extenuating or mitigating circumstance, which decreases guilt.
[edit] References
Henry Campbell Black. Black's Law Dictionary. 6th edition. (St. Paul, MN: West, 1991).
