Example and Hypothetical Scenario. Penalties and Punishment​​ The penalties, if convicted, depend on the degree of the charge and the corresponding classification of that offense.False imprisonment occurs when a person intentionally and illegally restrains another person's ability to move freely. False imprisonment is similar to false arrest, but it includes being illegally held or detained against one's will. If the person that's being assaulted is a police officer, even a simple assault becomes a felony of assault in the second degree, subject to state imprisonment. After you tell the clerk at the front desk you are there, you will be given forms to fill out, including one to write down the incidents of violence. False imprisonment can be both a crime and a "tort," meaning a wrongful civil (non-criminal) act that causes harm. Corporal punishment is not, in and of itself, illegal in Virginia. In NC, false imprisonment is the unlawful restrain or detainment of an individual without their consent. Perkings and R. Boyce, Criminal Law, 225 (3rd ed. 1982).