The criminal offense of sexual assault generally involves forced sexual intercourse, sodomy, or other sexual penetration of another person—against the person’s will and without the person’s consent.

Sexual assault laws vary from state to state, and in some states the traditional criminal offense of rape is defined as the criminal offense of sexual assault. In some states the touching, groping, or pinching of the body of another person without the person’s consent and for purposes of sexual gratification is defined as sexual assault—and in other states such nonconsensual sexual contact is defined as the criminal offense of sexual battery or forcible touching, for example.

Sexual assault and related criminal offenses are generally located in a state’s statutes—often in the penal or criminal code.

In Virginia, the criminal offense of sexual assault encompasses a range of non-consensual sexual acts, including rape, forcible sodomy, and object sexual penetration. Virginia law defines rape as sexual intercourse with another person against their will by force, threat, or intimidation. Forcible sodomy involves a sexual act other than intercourse, such as oral or anal sex, performed against a person's will and without their consent. Object sexual penetration involves penetrating the victim's sexual parts or the perpetrator's sexual parts with an object without consent. Virginia also recognizes sexual battery as a separate offense, which is the sexual abuse of a victim involving the touching of the victim's intimate parts against their will, including cases where the victim is incapacitated or physically helpless. These crimes are detailed in the Virginia Code, specifically under Title 18.2, which covers crimes and offenses generally. Penalties for sexual assault offenses in Virginia vary based on the severity of the act and can range from misdemeanor charges to felony charges with significant prison time.