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 Florida, hazing is taken very seriously and is addressed under Florida Statutes, specifically in Chapter 1006 regarding education and Section 1006.63, which defines and prohibits hazing in educational environments. The law defines hazing as any action or situation that recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student for purposes including, but not limited to, initiation or admission into or affiliation with any organization operating under the sanction of a postsecondary institution. This includes a range of activities such as those mentioned in the description, from forced consumption of food or alcohol to sleep deprivation. Florida law makes it clear that consent of the victim is not a defense for hazing. Furthermore, the law requires that any person who knows that hazing is happening must report it to the appropriate authorities. Hazing that results in serious bodily injury or death can be prosecuted as a felony, while hazing that does not result in serious harm can be treated as a misdemeanor. Educational institutions in Florida typically have their own policies that mirror state law, providing additional administrative sanctions against individuals or organizations that engage in hazing.