“Hate crime” laws are defined as a crime based around a prejudice. There are two different types of hate crimes. One type of law gives a specific group protection that other people do not have. The penalty enhancement law is the other, and this law “requires that a defendant receive a stiffer sentence if it can be proved that the victim was chosen due to prejudice” (citation). The people who support these hate crime laws argue that the laws will stop further hate crimes. In reality, these “hate crimes” will not be stopped with a couple laws because criminals will continue to commit crimes no matter what laws are in place. Hate crime laws should not be enacted for the reason stated previously, and they should not be enacted because the punishment for the crimes committed will not change. Laws for “hate crimes” will not put an end to criminal violence with prejudicial intent. Criminals who would want to harm another person based on …show more content…
There are a few factors that contribute to this statement. The first factor is the fact that “murder is murder” (citation). This means that a person who commits murder in a state with a hate crime law would get the same punishment as a person who commits murder in a state without a hate crime law because the crime is the same. The intent does not change that the person committed a crime. Another factor is having to prove the motivation for the crime. A jury, lawyer, or a judge will not be able to know exactly what the person was thinking during the time the criminal committed the crime. Only the criminal will know his intent. This means a lawyer is unable to “prove” the intent of the criminal, which leads to no other form of punishment than a criminal with no intent. If a criminal was found of prejudicial motivation, it is “unconstitutional to punish him for it” because the reason of punishment violates the First Amendment
This act was established by the federal law within the US and passed in October 2009 by the Congress (Altschiller, 2015). It protects individuals from hate crimes that may be directed to them by other individuals. As a result of their differences in gender, ethnicity, and origin. This act gives the justice system of the US the authority to punish those who engage in hate crimes that are motivated by their victim’s race, religion and ethnicity among others. Moreover, for a victim the hate crime to be protected by this act, he or she does not
A hate crime is a violent act against people, property, or organizations because of the group to which they belong or identify with. Hate crimes are committed against many different groups of people. Many hate crimes are based on racial or religious bias. Racial bias is the largest cause of hate crimes. Hate crimes are a specific type of crime committed against individuals or groups because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, or
The U.S. later legalized it in 2009. This act augmented penalties for crimes perpetrated against one’s ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, age, disability, sexual identity, or sexual preference. Today, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act is “effectively recognizing the importance of prosecuting violence motivated by racism or other bias-related crimes” (2). The act serves as evidence of progress towards equality. The government is saying that all men are created equal and should be treated in the same manner, and if one chooses to oppose this proposition, they will encounter strict
Are Police Racist On April 29, 2017 Jordan Edwards, unarmed, was leaving a house party that was getting “out of hand”. He was fatally shot and killed while in the car leaving with his brother and three other unarmed teenagers. Jordan was considered a great student and he was liked by many of his teachers and classmates. This is just one of the many times police officers have fatally shot someone that was unarmed and just happened to be black.
-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.
I have chosen to document and research African-American Hate Crimes during the eras of 2007 until 2015. With recent cases of Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin and the crimes of San Jose University, I believe this research is more than needed. By researching several forms of accurate and up-to-date literature and research findings I will promote and compile the most accurate and efficient research of these factors as possible with the prevalent information found from over 20 different sources, direct and indirect. Subjects will include and will be limited to African Americans between the ages of 15 and 35, Law Enforcement Officials within Southern States v. Northern States, and Parental Figures of those who have lives lost. With approval
There’s going to be different charges for every case. The charges are going to be different. Punishments for hate crimes are going to depend on the case and how bad the crime is. There is going to be different charges for every case, but it’s going to depend on what the person did and what evidence they find. Steven Sandstorm and Gary Eye, of Kansas City, Missouri were sentenced multiple life sentences because of the “racially- motivated murder of William L. McCay.”
“53.1% percent of the hate speech crimes in the last 5 years have been violent and psychical.” (FBI National Press Office) This shows that more than half of the hate crimes have hurt people and might affect them for the rest of their lives. Hate speech is not okay. It hurts people beyond words and causes an unfair balance of power.
A suiting definition for hate crimes is an adaptation from Gerstenfeld chapter 1: The Whys and Hows of Hate Crime Laws: crimes that are committed based on the race, religion, ethnicity, and sexual orientation of the victim. Another definition of hate crimes that was considered was the Massachusetts legal definition of hate crimes that was discussed in Englander’s article Is Bullying a Junior Hate Crime? Which included disability, color, and national origin on top of the protected groups that have been
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
There are currently no constitutional limits on hate speech, even though many community areas such as college campuses have passed restrictions. Any law that restricts hate speech is actually unconstitutional as of right now, and to move forward with an agenda that would restrict speech in this way on a federal level is simply not supported by the Constitution. Attempting to pass a law that defines hateful speech and outlaws it would be a violation of the first amendment, as it would be very difficult to do so in a way that does not infringe on other liberties granted under the first amendment. Many of those who support hate speech as a first amendment right argue that hateful words do not incite violence unless that violence already existed, and would have happened with or without encouragement. This is a nice thought, and in a perfect world it would even be true, however, this notion is not supported by the massive amount of evidence showing violent acts encouraged by hateful speech.
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
It’s time to #TakeAKnee “We never get rid of hate by meeting hate with hate; we get rid of an enemy, by getting rid of enmity. By its very nature hate destroys and tears down.” Dr. Martin Luther King stated that the purpose of non-violent protest was not to get revenge but to change the heart of the enemy. Over the past couple of years America has begun to acknowledge police brutality as a serious problem. While state-sanctioned violence towards individuals of varying races of color is not new, the documentation through dash-cams and civilian cellphone footage has brought the brutality to light.
Racism, the act of “…prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race…”, is a major problem today. It gives people fear, doubt, shame, and sometimes guilt. In addition, racism gives people an awful perspective of life and sometimes, if one is looking up to a racist, the racist’s point of view begins to alter the person’s judgement. Racism could also lead to great conflict arising from those who heavily despise that race and maybe even mass killings, which foreshows that racism needs to be stopped and ended completely.
Racism has always existed with humans. Racism is treating someone differently of unfairly simply because they belong to a different ethnic community of have a different religion or nationality. When someone believes their race is better than another and feels superior ro other people because of his of her race, is called racism. Throughout time, many people have lost their lives, or lost their families and children, and are left without homes due to racism. Racism causes wars, which could destroy humanity ultimately.