Understanding Hate Crime Statutes And Building Towards A Better System In Texas By Ben Gillis

A 2005 study conducted by National Institute of Justice, found that the Federal Government and all but one state, Wyoming, have laws related to hate crimes. A consistent problem identified by this study is there in no consistency in defining what constitutes a hate crime. (Carrie F. Mulford, Ph.D., & Michael Shively, Ph.D., Hate Crime in America: The Debate Continues, 257, Nat’l Inst Just., (2007). “The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines hate crime—also called bias crime—as “a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin.” ld.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that” (Martin Luther King Jr). Hate crimes are a big problem in the world today and need to be stopped. To end hate crimes people need to learn to look past what is on the outside of a person and learn to love what it on the inside. In the selection, Why We Need to Tolerate Hate by Wendy Kaminer, Kaminer emphasizes what hate crimes are and how they are treated differently than other crimes. Since hate crimes are a problem in the world today, we need to understand if hate crime prosecution is prosecution of thought and belief, the change of hate crime laws over time, and the way that the prosecution of hate crimes has changed over time.

A hate crime is a crime of prejudice. The commitment of hate crimes is motivated by racial, sexual and even religious differences that often result to violence and death. America today is besieged by hate crimes. It seems that everywhere we turn, in the newspapers, on television and on social media, hate crimes are not only reported but are actually supported. It is unprecedented in American history how much bigotry is thrown out in our faces from the news and in social media. (Patillo, 2017) Behind every hate crime is a message. This is why the mainstream media and social media have become platforms for various groups to brag about their religious and racial biases and what they intend to do about those who against their beliefs. Hate crimes are espoused by religious and racial bigots to sow hate and dissension in order to convince people that their religious and racial prejudices are correct. Politicians, law enforcement units and the local community have to take firm steps to prevent such acts of violence from occurring in their locality.

The hate crime legislations in the United States need to clearly define and identify hate crimes. Title 18 of the United States Code allows prosecutors to prosecute anyone who intentionally injures, intimidate, interferes with someone else, or attempts to do so, by force because of a person’s race, color, religions, or

Hate Crime in the United States of America THESIS: In this research paper, information will be given on hate crime in the United States of America. It’s best to know about these types of crimes before it’s too late because it’s rarely reported or spoken about but does occur on regular bases. Hate crime didn't come about until the early 1980's. It's sad how these types of crimes still occur so many years later; there are innocent people who are attacked simply because of their race, religion or sexual orientation. Based on the articles, hate crime in the USA is very common and the chances to be a victim are high enough. Hate crimes are ignorant and pointless, they need to be stopped.Done to many different people in many different

Hate cannot be a crime but acting on that hate in an offensive way that is hurtful to others is a crime. Hate Crime:

Where hate speech and the motivation for performing an act intersect, the subtleties must be addressed so that there is no confusion as to where the line is exactly drawn. The debate on hate speech and its protection due to the 1st Amendment is a sensitive subject as minute details can turn the tide on whether a criminal is guilty of an act or

“The term hate crime was coined in the 1980s by journalists and policy advocates who were attempting to describe a series of incidents directed at Jews, Asians and African-Americans. The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines hate crime (also known as bias crime) as "a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender 's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin.(National Institute of justice, Paragraph 1, December 22, 2010.)”

Hate Crimes care awful and yet they happen every day. The thought that a hate crimes can happen anytime anywhere is not something that crosses everyone’s mind daily. Within this essay we will cover the typical individual who commits hate crimes, who the targets or victims of hate crimes are, what the causes and effects of hate crimes are, and what actions can be taken to minimize the amount and occurrence of hate crimes. Unfortunately hate crimes have been a part of the United States, prior to the United States being named. They are a part of our history as Americans, though it is not good history, it is still there. “A hate crime is usually defined by state law as one that involves threats, harassment,

Hate violence refers to crimes that are directed against families, persons, organizations, or groups due to their ethnic, racial, sexual, religious identities, orientations or conditions of disability (Whitlock & Bronski, 2016). Accordingly, hate violence included crimes of arson at the business or homes, damage and destruction of religious property, personal assaults, homicides, and cross burnings. In the United States, hate violence has a long history. However, although it might be challenging to assess and estimate the prevalence of this kind of hate in the United States, there are clear indications that the problem has increased in recent years (Whitlock & Bronski, 2016). Connectively,

Although the bias was apparent through his speech, it was made provable through the young men’s actions in which he inclined. But this is where hate crime statues become tricky, and face most opposition. Those against hate crime statutes argue just that, of one’s rights being violated if a penalty-enhancement is enforced.

This is a misnomer as it often does not involve hate (McDaniel 2012). The definition has been vague. Moreover, not all States have laws against it. A general definition given this violation by all States is that it is a specific crime, which includes threats, harassment or physical harm to a specific person or group. That person or group is the target because of a prejudice against the person or group's race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. A State determines its parameters as a criminal offense. The federal definition is that it is "the violence of intolerance and bigotry" with the intention to hurt and intimidate the target for his or their race, ethnicity, national origin, religious or sexual orientation or disability. The federal government stresses the importance of the tension between individuals or groups because of cross-cultural barriers (McDaniel).

Throughout American history, violent criminal acts against a specific person or a group of individuals were just that, violent crimes. In the 1980’s, the term hate crime was born. The term hate crime was used by a group of advocates to describe a series of violent incidents targeting several minorities (Nij.gov, 2015). A hate crime is “a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender 's bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation,

The concept of hate crime entered the legal arena in the United States as recently as 1978, when California became the first state to introduce Legislation that specifically addressed crimes motivated by prejudice against a victim's perceived group membership. (Grattet, Jenness and Curry 1998). With the increase dynamic pattern of ethnic segregation and tradition, of national origin and ethnic territoriality that characteristics many communities, it is relatively easier for perpetrators to target the whole community not just individual.

It is possible to have an opinion on this matter and to advocate for that opinion, but were all people to do this, no one would get anywhere. This is why it is important to have a constant that can be looked to, and that constant is the law. Therefore, the question is; what does the law say about hate crime? It says that it must be punished more severely and taken more seriously than other crime. The United States is immensely protective of its democratic values and anytime an enemy of those values appears, the U.S