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 Nevada, hazing is addressed under Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) 200.605, which defines hazing as an initiation process involving acts that may cause physical or mental harm or anxiety, or which may demean, degrade, or disgrace any person, regardless of location or consent of the participant. Hazing is illegal in Nevada when it involves a school, college, or university and can lead to misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor charges, depending on the severity of the act and whether it results in substantial bodily harm. Educational institutions in Nevada typically have their own policies prohibiting hazing, which can lead to disciplinary actions independent of any criminal proceedings. It is important for individuals and organizations to understand that justifying hazing as a tradition or rite of passage does not exempt them from legal consequences, and they may be held accountable for such actions under Nevada law.