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 Colorado, hazing is addressed under state law in the Colorado Revised Statutes (C.R.S. 18-9-124). The law defines hazing as any activity by which a person recklessly endangers the health or safety of or causes a risk of bodily injury to an individual for purposes of initiation or admission into or affiliation with any student organization. This includes, but is not limited to, forced consumption of food, alcohol, drugs, or any other substance, as well as physical brutality, such as whipping, beating, branding, or exposure to the elements. Hazing that results in serious bodily injury is considered a class 4 felony, while hazing that does not result in serious bodily injury is a class 3 misdemeanor. Educational institutions in Colorado often have their own policies that prohibit hazing, which can include disciplinary measures independent of state law. Victims of hazing or those who are aware of hazing incidents are encouraged to report the behavior to authorities, and Colorado law provides immunity from prosecution for individuals who report hazing incidents in good faith.