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Florida Statute 827.01 - Full Text and Legal Analysis
Florida Statute 827.01 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
Link to State of Florida Official Statute
F.S. 827.01 Case Law from Google Scholar Google Search for Amendments to 827.01

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XLVI
CRIMES
Chapter 827
ABUSE OF CHILDREN
View Entire Chapter
827.01 Definitions.As used in this chapter:
(1) “Caregiver” means a parent, adult household member, or other person responsible for a child’s welfare.
(2) “Child” means any person under the age of 18 years.
(3) “Placement” means the giving or transferring of possession or custody of a child by any person to another person for adoption or with the intent or purpose of surrendering the control of the child.
History.s. 48, ch. 74-383; s. 1, ch. 77-174; s. 7, ch. 96-322.

F.S. 827.01 on Google Scholar

F.S. 827.01 on CourtListener

Amendments to 827.01


Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 827.01

Total Results: 29  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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Kevin Spencer v. United States, 773 F.3d 1132 (11th Cir. 2014).

Cited 54 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 2014 WL 6234529

...of 107 that many types of sexual activity could reasonably cause physical injury to a child, not all sexual activity necessarily could reasonably cause physical injury to a child, particularly because, for purposes of Section 827.03, Fla. Stat. § 827.01(2) defines the term “child” to include anyone up to, though not including, the age of eighteen....
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DuFresne v. State, 826 So. 2d 272 (Fla. 2002).

Cited 37 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 2002 WL 2020158

...ild abuse. See § 39.306, Fla. Stat. (2001). It is also apparent that the term "mental injury," as it applies to child abuse, has been used in a similar manner in section 415.503 and chapter 39, as well as chapter 827. For instance, as defined under section 827.01, "child abuse" includes intentional infliction of mental injury upon a child, as well as an intentional act that could reasonably be expected to result in mental injury to a child....
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Braddy v. State, 111 So. 3d 810 (Fla. 2012).

Cited 30 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 37 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 703, 2012 WL 5514368, 2012 Fla. LEXIS 2357

other person responsible for a child’s welfare.” § 827.01(1), Fla. Stat. (1997). Braddy claims that he was
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Kama v. State, 507 So. 2d 154 (Fla. 1st DCA 1987).

Cited 22 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 12 Fla. L. Weekly 1195

..."Aggravated battery" is defined by section 784.045: (1) A person commits aggravated battery who, in committing battery: (a) Intentionally or knowingly causes great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement; or (b) Uses a deadly weapon. "Torture" is defined by section 827.01(3) as "every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering is caused." This would appear to cover any "battery" greater than privileged discipline....
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Nicholson v. State, 600 So. 2d 1101 (Fla. 1992).

Cited 16 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 1992 WL 117281

...Knight Bros. Paper Co., 118 So.2d 664, 667 (Fla. 1st DCA 1960). There is no contrary intent apparent in chapter 827. The word "torture" is used only once in chapter 827, that being in section 827.03(1)(b). Therefore, if the definition contained in section 827.01(3), Florida Statutes (1987), is to be given effect, it must be read into the phrase "willful torture" as used in section 827.03(1)(b)....
...mmits aggravated battery on a child; (b) Willfully tortures a child; (c) Maliciously punishes a child; or (d) Willfully and unlawfully cages a child. (2) A person who commits aggravated child abuse is guilty of a felony of the second degree... . [2] Section 827.01(3), Florida Statutes (1987), defines the term "torture," as used in chapter 827, to mean "every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering is caused." [3] § 827.01(3)....
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State v. Cohen, 696 So. 2d 435 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997).

Cited 15 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 1997 WL 360971

...visual depictions" of sexually explicit conduct by minors gave the defendant fair notice that the mailing of undeveloped film of such activities was thereby prohibited. Id. at 847 n. 4. Here, defendant does not raise the constitutional argument that section 827.01 *440 lacked definiteness such that it failed to provide fair notice that his conduct was prohibited....
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Karwoski v. State, 867 So. 2d 486 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004).

Cited 11 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 2004 WL 330877

...en. The statute also provides that lewd or lascivious molestation is a crime committed against someone under sixteen years of age. Further, by referencing chapter 827, this statute incorporates "any person under 18 years" as the definition of child. § 827.01(2), Fla....
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Faust v. State, 354 So. 2d 866 (Fla. 1978).

Cited 8 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida

...tute and its predecessor utilize substantially the same language to proscribe substantially identical conduct, although the current statute takes an outline form. Furthermore, the term "torture," as employed in the present statute, is now defined by Section 827.01(3), Florida Statutes (1975), as follows: "`Torture' means every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering is caused." Rather than creating vagueness, as appellant contends, this statutory definition of torture lends clarity to the statute contested sub judice....
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Wheeler v. State, 203 So. 3d 1007 (Fla. 4th DCA 2016).

Cited 5 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 16768

“child” as “any person under the age of 18 years.” § 827.01(2), Fla. Stat. (2014). The State’s Case at Trial
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Kennedy v. State, 59 So. 3d 376 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011).

Cited 5 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 2011 Fla. App. LEXIS 6327, 2011 WL 1660937

...STEVENSON and GERBER, JJ., concur. NOTES [1] Although not specifically raised as an issue on appeal, the trial court instructed the jury with an outdated definition of torture. See Cox v. State, 1 So.3d 1220, 1223 (Fla. 2d DCA 2009) ("Previous versions of section 827.01, Florida Statutes, defined torture for purposes of aggravated child abuse as `every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering is caused.' However, this definition was deleted when chapter 827 was extensively amended in 1996.") (citation omitted)....
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Cox v. State, 1 So. 3d 1220 (Fla. 2d DCA 2009).

Cited 5 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 779, 2009 WL 277442

...3 ("[P]ortions of section 827.03 prohibit the `willful torturing' and `willful and unlawful caging' of children. This would seem to indicate that the legislature intended to proscribe conduct far more brutal than the spanking of a child by a parent."). Previous versions of section 827.01, Florida Statutes, defined torture for purposes of aggravated child abuse as "every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering is caused." See Nicholson v. State, 600 So.2d 1101 (Fla.1992) (discussing what acts constitute torture under previous version of sections 827.01 and 827.03)....
...This was carried out over four months until the child died of starvation. Id. The supreme court concluded these acts and omissions were sufficient to constitute aggravated child abuse both as malicious punishment and willful torture as previously defined in section 827.01....
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State v. Harris, 537 So. 2d 1128 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989).

Cited 5 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 1989 WL 7526

...ind of aggravated child abuse defined therein must consist of "acts." There was no change to the provisions of section 827.03(1)(b) concerning aggravated child abuse through willful torture, nor was there any change to the definition of "torture" in section 827.01(3)....
...to legislative approval of the judicial construction." 49 Fla.Jur.2d Statutes § 166 [p. 200] (1984). *1130 In response to a question from the state in its brief and from the trial court in its order about the failure of Jakubczak to recognize that section 827.01(3) defines "torture" to include an omission or neglect, we note that there appears to be no way to fully, i.e., without any logical doubt, square Jakubczak with section 827.01(3). But in balancing the reasoning used in Jakubczak, together with our additional reasoning in this opinion, against the reasoning which would be involved by using the definition in section 827.01(3) to arrive at a result contrary to that of Jakubczak, we conclude that section 827.01(3) should not control. To follow the definition in section 827.01(3) would result in an incongruity with otherwise manifested legislative intent....
..."Torture" may be commonly defined as "to inflict intense pain to body or mind for purposes of punishment ... or for sadistic pleasure." Black's Law Dictionary 1335 (5th ed. 1979). Also, while, technically, the facts that section 827.03(1)(b) addresses willful torture and section 827.01(3) only defines "torture" would not logically justify ignoring the section 827.01(3) definition, the inclusion of the word "willfully" in section 827.03(1)(b) may be taken to indicate that the legislature meant to criminalize in that section something worse than what was defined in section 827.01(3)....
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Nicholson v. State, 579 So. 2d 816 (Fla. 1st DCA 1991).

Cited 4 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 1991 WL 75561

...a child; (c) Maliciously punishes a child; or (d) Willfully and unlawfully cages a child. (2) A person who commits aggravated child abuse is guilty of a felony of the second degree punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. [2] Section 827.01, Florida Statutes: (1) "Child" means any person under the age of 18 years....
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In Re: Stand. Jury Instructions in Crim. Cases-Report 2017-06., 236 So. 3d 282 (Fla. 2018).

Cited 4 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida

the normal activities of daily living. § 827.01(2), Fla. Stat. "Child" means any person
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State v. Jenkins, 910 So. 2d 934 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005).

Cited 3 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2005 WL 2291189

...breasts. The statements of L.D. and Sechrest were not conflicting — L.D. merely refrained from commenting on whether there had been physical contact. Jenkins also argues that Sechrest's statement by itself could not establish that Jenkins violated section 827.01 because she was not present at the time of the violation....
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Zile v. State, 710 So. 2d 729 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998).

Cited 3 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 1998 WL 250710

...llows: (1) "Aggravated child abuse" is defined as one or more acts committed by a person who: (a) commits aggravated battery on a child; (b) willfully tortures a child; (c) maliciously punishes a child; or (d) willfully and unlawfully cages a child. Section 827.01(3) defines "torture" as "every act, omission, or neglect whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable pain or suffering is caused." [1] The state argued at trial that Appellant was guilty of aggravated child abuse by failing to protect Christina the night John beat her to death....
...The jury could have found that the evidence suggested that Appellant approved and condoned the attack up until the victim lost consciousness, and willfully intended the beating or torture to continue. The jury could also conclude that this prolonged abuse caused Christina "unjustifiable pain or suffering," as defined in § 827.01(3)....
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Kevin Spencer v. United States, 727 F.3d 1076 (11th Cir. 2013).

Cited 2 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 2013 WL 4106367, 2013 U.S. App. LEXIS 16895

...d, we cannot “say categorically that the offense is a crime of violence under the residual clause.” Chitwood, 676 F.3d at 976. When that is the case, we proceed to another stage: 35 The DuFresne court actually cited section 827.01, which defined only the terms “caregiver,” “child,” and “placement.” Fla. Stat. § 827.01 (1996). Elsewhere throughout the opinion, the DuFresne court cited section 827.03, which did define child abuse, not section 827.01. Thus, we assume that DuFresne’s quoted reference to 827.01 here, rather than 827.03, was inadvertent. 27 Case: 10-10676 Date Filed: 08/15/2013 Page: 28 of 45 The second way that a crime can come within the residual...
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State v. Christie, 939 So. 2d 1078 (Fla. 3d DCA 2005).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 3rd District Court of Appeal | 2005 WL 2861101

...d neglect with no bodily harm pursuant to sections 827.03(3)(a) and (c), Florida Statutes (2003). At issue in this case is whether a public school teacher can be deemed a "caregiver" for students during school *1079 hours, as that term is defined in section 827.01(1). We conclude that a public school teacher is a "caregiver," as defined by section 827.01(1), during school hours....
...ssroom. The State charged Christie with five counts of child neglect with no bodily harm under sections 827.03(3)(a) and (c). That statute defines "neglect of a child" as a caregiver's failure or omission to provide a child with care or supervision. Section 827.01(1), in turn, defines "caregiver" as "a parent, adult household member, or other person responsible for a child's welfare." Christie filed a motion to dismiss the complaint....
...ion 827.03. Moreover, the state argued that Christie was a section 827.03 "caregiver" because, as a school teacher, she stood in loco parentis to the students during school hours and was therefore an "other person responsible for a child's welfare." § 827.01(1), Fla....
...inition of "other person responsible for a child's welfare" in considering a neglect charge under section 827.03. That is because we conclude that a teacher falls within the plain meaning of "caregiver" during school hours as that word is defined in section 827.01(1). Section 827.03(3) criminalizes child neglect by a "caregiver." A "caregiver" in turn is statutorily defined as "a parent, adult household member, or other person responsible for a child's welfare." § 827.01(1), Fla....
...onsible for a child's welfare." Thus, because the statute's language is clear and unambiguous, the statute must be given its "plain and obvious meaning." Holly v. Auld, 450 So.2d 217, 219 (Fla. 1984). The plain and obvious meaning of "caregiver," in 827.01(1), has been applied to neglect prosecutions under 827.03(3)....
...Gross, 758 So.2d 86 (Fla.2000)(college has duty to protect students from dangers in mandatory internship placement). A person who stands in loco parentis to a child during school hours must obviously be deemed a "person responsible for the child's welfare" under section 827.01(1)....
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Amvest Capital Corp. v. Banco Exterior De Espana, S.A., 675 F. Supp. 640 (S.D. Fla. 1987).

Cited 1 times | Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11312, 1987 WL 21700

rule fails." 3 Fletcher, Cyclopedia Corporations, § 827.1 at 158. (rev. ed. 1986). Amvest maintains that
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State v. Nowlin, 50 So. 3d 79 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 19006, 2010 WL 5072109

felony. The term “caregiver” is defined in section 827.01(a) as “a parent, adult household member, or
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Kevin Spencer v. United States (11th Cir. 2014).

Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

...of 107 that many types of sexual activity could reasonably cause physical injury to a child, not all sexual activity necessarily could reasonably cause physical injury to a child, particularly because, for purposes of Section 827.03, Fla. Stat. § 827.01(2) defines the term “child” to include anyone up to, though not including, the age of eighteen....
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Stand. Jury Instructions In Crim. Cases—Submission 2001-1, 824 So. 2d 881 (Fla. 2002).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 27 Fla. L. Weekly Supp. 451, 2002 Fla. LEXIS 880, 2002 WL 926073

chapter 827 relating to abuse of children. See § 827.01, Fla. Stat. (2001); ch. 96-322, § 7, at 1770,
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State of Florida v. Jason Luis Domenech (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2024).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida

of the phrase "underage girls," see § 827.01(2) (" 'Child' means any person
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Durand v. State, 820 So. 2d 381 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002).

Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2002 Fla. App. LEXIS 7208, 2002 WL 1040335

person responsible for a *382child’s welfare.” § 827.01(1), Fla. Stat. (1999). Given his position in the
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In Re: Stand. Jury Instructions in Crim. Cases—report 2016-01, 213 So. 3d 680 (Fla. 2017).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida

care community. As applied to a Child. § 827.01(1). Fla. Stat “Caregiver” means a parent
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State v. Robinette, 652 So. 2d 926 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 1995).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida | 1995 Fla. App. LEXIS 3255, 1995 WL 133354

means “any person under the age of 18 years.” § 827.01(1), Florida Statutes. Simple application of these
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In Re Stand. Jury Instructions in Crim. Cases-report No. 2015-06, 195 So. 3d 356 (Fla. 2016).

Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 2016 WL 3450481

child in need of services].] Definition. § 827.01(í2),.Fla. Stat. “Child” means any person
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State of Florida v. Jason Luis Domenech (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2024).

Published | District Court of Appeal of Florida

of the phrase "underage girls," see § 827.01(2) (" 'Child' means any person
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Ago (Fla. Att'y Gen. 2001).

Published | Florida Attorney General Reports

been emancipated by order of the court." 13 Section 827.01(2), Fla. Stat., defines a "[c]hild" for purposes

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