Assault and Battery, corrections officials

2025-2026 Bill 889: Assault and Battery, corrections officials - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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S. 889
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senator Adams
Companion/Similar bill(s): 5074
Document Path: LC-0221AHB26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on February 4, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Assault and Battery, corrections officials
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/4/2026

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 6
)

2/4/2026

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 6
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/04/2026

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH
CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION
16-3-600
, RELATING TO ASSAULT AND BATTERY
OFFENSES, SO AS TO ADD THAT ASSAULT AND BATTERY OF A HIGH AND AGGRAVATED NATURE
OCCURS WHEN A PERSON INJURES A CORRECTIONS OFFICER IN THE DISCHARGE OF OR
BECAUSE OF THEIR OFFICIAL DUTIES.

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
16-3-600
(B) of the S.C. Code is amended to
read:

(
B)
(
1) A person commits the offense of
assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature if the person unlawfully
injures another person, and:

(
a)
great bodily injury to another person results;
or

(
b)
the act is accomplished by means likely to produce death or great bodily injury
.
; or

(
c) the person injured is a corrections
officer, including a county or municipal corrections officer, in the discharge
of, or because of, the performance of the officer's official duties.

(
2)
A person who violates this subsection is guilty of a felony, and, upon
conviction, must be imprisoned for not more than twenty years.

(
3)
Assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature is a lesser-included
offense of attempted murder, as defined in Section
16-3-29
.

S
ECTION 2. The repeal or amendment by this act
of any law, whether temporary or permanent or civil or criminal, does not affect
pending actions, rights, duties, or liabilities founded thereon, or alter,
discharge, release or extinguish any penalty, forfeiture, or liability incurred
under the repealed or amended law, unless the repealed or amended provision
shall so expressly provide. After the effective date of this act, all
laws repealed or amended by this act must be taken and treated as remaining in
full force and effect for the purpose of sustaining any pending or vested
right, civil action, special proceeding, criminal prosecution, or appeal
existing as of the effective date of this act, and for the enforcement of
rights, duties, penalties, forfeitures, and liabilities as they stood under the
repealed or amended laws.

S
ECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on February 4, 2026 at 1:21 PM