ImportantDetailsOfHateCrimes

Toputitinthemostintelligibleform,hatecrimeisaprejudicebasedcrimewhichisoftenviolent.It
istaggedhatecrimebecauseitisbelievedtobedoneoutofhatredforthevictim.Butinreality,
thehatredalsohasanelementofenvy.Mosttimesthevictimusuallypossessessomethingorsome
qualitythatperpetratorsneverhave.

Averycommoninstanceiswhenacoupleofbadstudentsganguptoattackanotherstudent
probablybecauseheisacademicallysuperiororbecauseheisthefavoriteofalotoffemale
students.Hatecrimeisalsoreferredtoasabiasmotivatedcrime.Sometimestheperpetrators
attackthevictimbecauseofhisorhermembershiporperceivedmembershipofagroup.

Someofthesecharacteristicscouldbesexualorientation,religion,nationality,ethnicityoreven
gender.Sometimesthesehaterstakenoncriminalactionswhenpushedbyanyofthesereasons.
Thistypeofactioniscalledabiasincident.

USCourtSystemhasmadehatecrimelawstoprotectcitizensagainstsuchcrimes.Eventhough
theselawsvaryslightlyindifferentstates,theyallconsidercharacteristicslikedisability,gender
identity,sexualorientation,gender,race,religion,ethnicityandnationalityofboththeperpetrators
andvictimsintheadjudicationofhatecrimecases.

Itisusuallyadvisabletoreporthatecrimesandhateincidentsbecauseyoumaybepreventingthese
incidentsfromeitherhappeningtoyouorsomeoneyoulove.Apartfromthat,whenyoureporta
hatecrimeithelpsthecopstofigureouttheextentofthecrimeinyourlocalityorcommunityand
begintocurtailit.

TheUSCourtSystemhasplacedseveraltoughpenaltiesforhatecrimeconvicts.Hatecrimestatutes
aregearedtowardsincreasedpunishmentonceitcanbeestablishedthatthevictimoftheattack
wassingledoutbecauseofhisorherpersonalcharacteristicsTheoneslistedabove.

Hatecrimelawsareveryimportantandtheyshouldalwaystaketheircourse.Thisisbecausewhena
hatecrimeoccurswithoutbeingaddressedthevictimorhis/herlocalityorpeoplewithsimilar
characteristics(dependingonwhatmotivatedthecrime)thatfeelconcernedmaydecidetotake
reprisalattackssinceattacksbegetattacks.Andifnotcurbed,itcouldleadtoaviciouscycleof
attacksthatmayleadtocommunalorgroupclashandthisleadstowantondestructionof
properties.Needlesstosayintergrouptensionandviolenceareverydifficulttocontain.Itisbetter
topreventittotallywiththeenforcementofhatecrimelaws.

Therearechallengeswithpreventionofhatecrimes.Oneofthemisthatsomeprecursoryactionsto
hatecrimesarenottreatedascrimes.Forinstance,sincethereisfreedomofspeechintheUnited
Statesandseveralpartsoftheworld,makingahatespeechisnotregardedasacriminalact.Thisis
whysomereligiousleadersopenlypreachagainstpeoplewithcertainsexualorientationandstillget
awaywithit.ItisthiskindofsermonthatmusthavemotivatedtheterribleOrlandomassacrethe
ledtothedeathofover45peopleon12thJune,2016.

Preachingisnotacriminalactbutnotwhenthemessagepitsonegroupofpeopleagainstanother.
Likethesayinggoesifyoucanmanipulateamansmind,youdonthavetobotherabouthis

actions.Theworldneedstobesensitizedonthelikelyconsequencesofhatecrimesasthecasesare
becomingdisturbinglytoomany.

Thisiswhythenewfederalhatecrimestatutehastobetakenmoreseriously.TheMatthewShepard
andJamesByrd,Jr.HateCrimesPreventionActallowsfederalgovernmenttorenderassistancein
theinvestigationandprosecutionofhatecrimesespeciallywhenalocalityisunwillingorunableto
investigateandprosecute.Sometimesthegovernmentofalocalitymaythwartahatecrimecaseif
theperpetratorsarehighlyinfluentialpeoplewithinthelocality.

Thestatutealsoensuresthecriminalswhoattacktheirvictimsbecauseofpersonalcharacteristicsor
affiliationtocertaingroupareallcoveredbythelaw.Duetothehighrateofhatecrimesthebillgot
thesupportofover250civilrights,civic,professional,educational,religiousorganizations.Even
almosteverymajorlawenforcementorganizationinUnitedStatesalsosupportsthebill.

Rightnow,therearethreetypesoflawscriminalizinghatecrimes

Lawsthatprotecttheattackofinstitutionslikeburningachurch

Lawsthatprotectpeoplefrombeingattackedbecauseoftheirmembershiporaffiliationtoa
certaingroup

Lawsthatenforcetheappropriatepenaltiesonceacasehasbeensuccessfullyestablishedasahate
crime

AccordingtoUSCourtsystem,hatecrimesarepunishablebysendingtheperpetratorstoabout10
yearsinprisonorevenadeathpenaltydependingontheseriousnessofthecrime.Inadditionto
thatpeoplewhocommithatecrimescanbesuedincivilcourtandaskedtopayappropriate
damagestothevictim(s).

Itisusuallyverydifficulttoprovebeyondreasonabledoubtthatanattackwasmotivatedby
personalcharacteristicsofthevictim(s)soifyouareavictimofahatecrimeyourbestoptionisto
seektheservicesofacompetentlawyer.

ThisiswhereValerieJennesscanbeofassistance.Sheisanauthorityinhatecrimelaws.Sheisa
professorintheDepartmentofCriminology,LawandSocietyattheUniversityofCalifornia.Shealso
conductedimpressiveworkonhatecrimeandmanymore.Herexperienceonhatecrimelawsis
whatmakesheroneofthebestpeopletoconsultforahatecrimecase.