Hate Crimes

Cher once said that “hate crimes are the scariest thing in the world because these people really believe what they are doing is right”. She was right those that commit hate crimes do it because it something that they believe in and possibly have their whole life. Even with laws protecting innocent minorities against hate crimes there is still lasting effects not only on the victim but the community as well. It takes more than one person to have a hold on hate crimes and there effects, it takes society as a whole.

Hate crimes are “crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race,

religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity”. In other words a hate crime is a criminal act where the victim was targeted because of their race, religion or sexual orientation. The FBI stated that the word “hate crime” did not come to surface until the 1980’s, when hate groups such as Skinheads launched a wave of bias-related crime. The FBI also stated the investigation of hate crimes has been conducted since World War 1, when the Ku Klux Klan first made themselves known. Acts such as assault, injuries, or murder on the basis of personal characteristics; different color, nationality, language, religion, or appearance can be put into the category of hate crimes, otherwise known as bias-motivated crimes. Physical assault, property damage, harassment, insults, bullying, and verbal abuse can also be considered as hate crimes. None the less criminal acts motivated by biased against one or more of the types above are considered as hate crimes. People commit hate crimes to send a message of intimidation to certain groups based on their orientation.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’, race is the most common motivation factor in hate crime offending reported (61%), followed by religion (14%), sexual orientation (13%), ethnicity (11%), and victim disability (1%).(nij.gov 2001) In racially motivated offenses, 60% targeted blacks and 30% targeted whites. (Strom K.J.,...