It is a criminal offense to communicate with or threaten a person with the intent to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, or embarrass the person. Criminal harassment may take many forms, and may be classified as the criminal offense of stalking, cyberbullying, or hate crimes—depending on the applicable state or federal law.

Laws vary from state to state, but a person generally commits a crime if, with the intent to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, or embarrass another, the person:

• initiates communication and in the course of the communication makes a comment, request, suggestion, or proposal that is obscene;

• threatens to inflict bodily injury or to commit a felony against the person, a member of the person’s family or household, or the person’s property in a manner reasonably likely to alarm the person;

• communicates a false report (that the communicator knows is false) that another person has suffered death or serious bodily injury, and does so in a manner reasonably likely to alarm the person receiving the report;

• causes the telephone number of another person to ring repeatedly, or makes repeated telephone communications anonymously or in a manner reasonably likely to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, embarrass, or offend another;

• makes a telephone call and intentionally fails to hang up or disengage the connection;

• knowingly permits a telephone under the person’s control to be used by another to harass someone;

• sends repeated electronic communications in a manner reasonably likely to harass, annoy, alarm, abuse, torment, embarrass, or offend another person.

The offense of criminal harassment is different from sexual or other harassment that may occur in the workplace, for example, and that is prohibited by state and federal law. Harassment in the workplace generally incurs potential civil liability (money damages in a lawsuit) but not criminal charges—unless the conduct is sufficiently egregious to constitute criminal harassment.

In Mississippi, criminal harassment is addressed under the state's stalking and cyberstalking laws. According to Mississippi Code Section 97-3-107, a person commits the offense of stalking if they willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follow, harass, or make a credible threat against another individual with the intent to put that person in fear of death or bodily harm, or to cause that person, or a member of their family, to suffer substantial emotional distress. Cyberstalking is similarly defined under Section 97-45-15, which includes the use of electronic communication to threaten, harass, or intimidate a person. This can encompass a range of behaviors, such as sending obscene messages, making threats of bodily harm or property damage, communicating false reports of injury or death, causing repeated phone calls, or sending repeated electronic communications with the intent to harass or alarm. These offenses can be charged as misdemeanors or felonies, depending on the circumstances, such as prior convictions or the issuance of a protective order. It's important to note that while workplace harassment may lead to civil liability, it may also constitute criminal harassment if it meets the statutory criteria for stalking or cyberstalking.