What is the legal definition of great bodily harm?
If a person causes great bodily harm to another while committing a criminal offense, the charge is usually a felony. What is the definition of great bodily harm? The Illinois Criminal Code of 1961 does not specify which injuries constitute great bodily harm. The question is for the jury to decide. When defendants have been found guilty of aggravated battery and appealed, the appellate courts have provided a general guideline as to what amounts to great bodily harm: “Great bodily harm” is more serious or grave than lacerations, bruises, or abrasions that characterize “bodily harm.” See People v. Costello, 95 Ill. App. 3d 680 (1981). It is a matter for the fact finder during trial to determine whether great bodily harm was suffered. As a practical matter, most county State’s Attorneys will file felony charges on any case that involves fractured bones. For example, a broken nose resulting from a fight will almost always result in a felony charge. And of course, so will any injury worse th
