Hazing generally includes mistreatment of students or other persons (pledges or plebes) in a ritualistic or tradition-based way that must be endured by the prospective members to gain admission to a group, club, or organization. The members doing the hazing often attempt to justify these hazing practices by referring to them as a rite of passage or rationalizing that all current members had to endure it and new prospective members should as well.

Hazing can take many forms, including:

• Requiring victims to act as a personal servant to senior (older) group members

• Forcing victims to binge drink or consume large amounts of alcohol or drugs

• Requiring victims to engage in embarrassing acts, such as wearing a costume or sign around their neck in public

• Depriving victims of sleep, food, or the ability to use the restroom

• Prohibiting victims from associating with family, friends, or other persons

• Swearing or yelling insults at victims.

Most schools have policies against hazing and in many states hazing may be prosecuted as a criminal offense if it results in bodily injury.

In Alaska, hazing is addressed under Alaska Statutes Section 11.61.120, which defines hazing as a situation where a person engages in 'reckless behavior' or 'intentionally subjects another person to a condition of extreme embarrassment, degradation, or physical or mental distress' for the purpose of initiation or admission into a group, organization, or team. The law specifically includes actions that could cause serious injury or death. Hazing in Alaska is considered a criminal offense and can be prosecuted as either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on the severity of the actions and the resulting harm. Educational institutions in Alaska also typically have their own policies prohibiting hazing, which can lead to disciplinary actions independent of any criminal proceedings.