Does anyone know if there are stiffer sentences if a person who does not have a mental illness and they physically attack a person who they know has a mental illness. I have been verbally threatened twice in the past not recent , by the same person. He is in the family and not shy about offending me and I have back down those two times but I feel I did wrong because I feel that I gave him more power to do it again. I made a firm decision to never back down again. If attacking the mentally ill physically is a more serious crime and he knew it it may be a deterrent and keep him at bay.