Hate Crime
Hate crime is a form of criminal activity motivated by prejudice and intolerance towards a person's race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability, or other characteristics (Cheng, 2013). It is an act of violence, intimidation, or harassment motivated by bias or hatred towards one or more protected characteristics. It is a serious social problem that has been increasing in many countries worldwide. Hate crimes are particularly damaging to the communities they target, as they threaten individuals' safety and create a climate of fear and mistrust. This paper will discuss the types of hate crimes, the perpetrators and reasons for hate crimes, the victims and the impact of hate crimes, and the factors contributing to hate crimes.
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This involves acts of violence or intimidation against individuals or groups because of their religious beliefs or practices (Cheng, Ickes, & Kenworthy, 2013). Examples of anti-religion hate crimes include desecrating places of worship, vandalizing religious monuments, and attacking people who practice a certain faith. Another type of hate crime is anti-race. This involves acts of violence or intimidation against individuals or groups because of their race, skin color, or ethnicity. Examples of anti-race hate crimes include attacking people because of their skin color, vandalizing property owned by people of a certain race, and spreading hateful messages about people of a certain race. Anti-sexual orientation hate crimes are also common. These involve acts of violence or intimidation against individuals or groups because of their sexual orientation (Cheng, Ickes, & Kenworthy, 2013). Examples of anti-sexual orientation hate crimes include attacking people because of their sexual orientation, vandalizing property owned by people of a certain sexual orientation, and spreading hateful messages about people of a certain sexual …show more content…
The occurrence of a hate crime can create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust, leading to decreased feelings of safety and security. This can lead to an increase in tensions between different racial and ethnic groups, as well as a decrease in social cohesion and overall trust in the community. The impact of hate crime can also be seen in the public policy arena. Hate crimes are often used to justify policies that discriminate against certain groups or to justify oppressive or exclusionary practices. This can further exacerbate existing inequalities and undermine progress toward greater social justice and
A hate crime is defined as a “ crime committed because
The fact that hate crime is deemed a major problem for a nation makes the Mathew Sheppard and James Byrd act to be implemented at all levels. This act is implemented at the local, state and federal level within a nation. This because the federal. Local, federal and state authorities join forces during investigations and prosecution of these hate crimes to protect the entire nation from violence evolving due to hate among people. Therefore, to mitigate expansion of hate crimes in the nation all authorities are given the power by Mathew Sheppard’s act to prevent hate crimes and prosecuting
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 1998 there were over 7,755 hate crime incidents reported in America, which stemmed from people’s biased views towards people of different races (46.9%), sexual orientations (20.8%), religions (19.8%), ethnicity and (11.6%), and people with disabilities (0.9%). All 7,755 of the crimes were more than just violence; they were violence driven by hatred. They were hate crimes. The FBI defines a hate crime as a “a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias.” This is certainly the case of the murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie Wyoming.
-Hate crimes, are not justifiable the reason why is because they’re, ‘bias.’ The definition of a ‘Hate Crime’ on page 604 is defined as “a bias related crime, committed against an individual that is motivated by bias regarding race, color, religion, disability, and sexual orientation.” Committing a crime just because of the color, sexuality, religion, or disability of a person isn’t justifiable. The reason why it’s not justifiable is because, the person committing the hate crime wouldn’t want someone else, to commit such an act towards themself.
They occur as a result of preconception and obliviousness. Hate crimes is a “lack of understanding about differences among people and their traditions contributes to fear and intolerance. Left unaddressed, these sentiments many often lead to acts of intimidation and ultimately hate-motivated violence”. (“Why Do Hate Crimes Occur?")
Conversely, under hate crime legislation it is clear to see that the prosecution of hate crimes further divides society by reinforcing the marginalisation of minority groups. Advocates with ideologies akin to this state that all violent crimes are the result of the offender’s absolute contempt for the victim of the hate crime. In such cases like this, all crimes are hate crimes and if no alternate rationale for prosecuting some people more harshly than others for the same crime based on who the victim is, a situation arises where different offenders charged with the same offence are treated unequally under the law which inadvertently creates discrimination, prejudices and unfairness in society.
The USA government crime data document seven types of antireligious hate crimes: anti-Jewish, anti-Catholic, anti-Protestant, anti-Islamic, anti-other religious group, anti-atheism ,agnosticism and etc. In our analyses, the data for anti-multi religions were omitted because of the small number of cases and the difficulty of interpretation. Due to the limitations in the data set, information about the offenders was not available. Therefore, chi-square goodness of-fit tests were used to test whether there was a difference in the incidence of hate crimes committed toward the six religious groups after adjusting the case numbers by subgroup populations. The results revealed differences of this type that varied across the 13-year period.
According to Gerstenfeld, hate crimes “may or may not include sexual orientation, gender, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, or political affiliation.” Some argue that every group should be protected by hate crime legislation, but this runs the risk of watering down the significance of such protections. The groups that are most frequently targeted by hate crimes including African Americans, gays and lesbians, Jews, and Muslims should be prioritized over other groups. Historically, the most targeted groups in the United States are African Americans, LGBT community, Jews, and Muslims. These groups are undoubtedly in the most need for protections provided by hate crime laws.
Before it is possible to find a solution to the problem, it is necessary to get to know the problem better. By definition, a hate crime is a crime motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, typically one involving violence. According to FBI data, 60% of hate crimes are motivated by racial bias, which are composed of mostly anti-black crimes, followed by anti-white crimes, then anti-hispanic crimes. 20% of hate crimes were against religious groups, with anti-semitic crimes being most common, with crimes against Muslims following close behind.
Hate Crime is a “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.” If an African American commits the same crime as an Caucasian it is more likely for the black person to be charged and arrested due to the racial issues we have today. There are many pros and cons towards the issue of racial crime, but hate crime is still a very difficult issue for our country to overcome. In order to overcome the issue of hate crime it would require changing legislation, public and police attitudes.
The definition of a hate crime is referred to as a “a crime, usually violent, motivated by prejudice or intolerance toward an individual’s national origin, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability”. "Hate Crime. Hate crime has existed all through history and are most likely going to exist for a while. When some people wakes up in the morning and began to start their day they don 't even think “ Will I be the victim of a hate crime today” or “Is someone going to attack me today for who I love”. Statistic that from from the the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs or (NCAVP), say that their data suggests that 20-25% of lesbian and gay people experience hate crimes within their lifetimes this
A criminal offense against a person or property motivated by a prejudice of race, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, or disability is defined as a hate crime. Imagine a person being killed in spite of the dislike for the color of the victim’s skin or their ethnicity. Or think about a criminal committing arson by setting a mosque on fire for the reason that they do not agree with the religious affiliations attached to the mosque. Both are clear examples of a hate crime, and hate crimes have been committed for hundreds of years dating back to, as Tom Strissguth (2003) identifies, 1649 (p. 104). Current hate crime laws that are in place have every good intention in mind to keep victims safe, but there are arguments from scholars
In this article, Jacobs successfully makes his argument by remaining objective, appealing more toward the ethos and logos of the reader, and limiting emotional language. Jacobs aims his article toward lawmakers and voters. Motives are subjective and based on many factors; therefore, Jacobs argues that basing hate crime off of motive does not only create hardships but also flaws. He continues his argument by looking at rights given to the people from the First Amendment. According to the First Amendment, people possess many freedoms including the freedom of speech; however, Jacobs argues how hate crimes
Their primary objective is to disseminate hatred, discrimination, and hostility. Hate groups utilize various methods, including propaganda, intimidation, and violence, to marginalize and oppress targeted communities. They foster an environment of fear and exclusion, undermining social cohesion and fundamental principles of equality and respect. Hate groups often perpetuate harmful stereotypes, engage in hate speech, and advocate for discriminatory policies, posing significant challenges to social harmony and peaceful
In the recent news, everyone’s heard of the rise in hate crime. Most hate crime is “motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, typically one involving violence,” (Dictionary.com). Hate crimes have spanned across the country and impact thousands of lives each year. The FBI started investigating hate crimes at the turn of the 20th century. The FBI define hate crime as, “criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity,” (FBI).