Hate Crimes

Violence motivated by a bias against victims’ characteristics which include race, religion, ethnic background, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation, represents a serious threat to all communities. Experts estimate that a bias-related crime is committed every 14 minutes. Criminal justice officials and state policy makers need to realize that it is key to make or adjust hate crime legislation. This has been a heated debate for centuries. I think more hate crime legislation is key to solving the ever-growing problem of hate crimes.

The first legislative efforts to address bias-related crimes, dated back to the late 19th century, which was a response to the expanding Ku Klux Klan and segregation in the south. Such laws included mandates against wearing masks and hoods. The next wave of legislation relating to hate crimes resulted from the movement for increased protection for civil rights in the face of widespread racial prejudice shown by segregated buildings and restricted access to public and private resources. The most recent legislation has been directed specifically to acts of hate against people of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, S. 625, also known

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as the Hate Crime Prevention Act, if enacted would strengthen current law as it relates to hate crimes motivated by a victim’s race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, etc. This shows hate crimes can happen anywhere so all of society needs to be concerned about this issue.

Another argument is that the government should not punish people more harshly based on their feelings that motivated their crime, instead of the crime committed. There are laws protecting woman from discrimination, do they have special rights? Most people would say no. Now, if we were just looking at the crime she would be guilty and would have to go to jail. Her defending herself is what should be on trial not just the fact that she killed her husband. In a way hate crimes are not only threatening to the individual being attacked but to America as a whole. I think the reason behind a crime is just as important than the crime committed. Crimes are obviously awful but when it is purely because one is different, it goes against everything America stands for. It also is very damaging to our American ideals.

Another argument for anti-hate crime legislation is that the reason why homosexuals want Congress into the debate of if there should be laws protecting them, to make what they are doing right. I don’t think people really ignore the law. As our former President said, “These are not like other crimes, because these crimes target people simply because of who they are, and because they do, they strike at the heart of who we are as a nation. Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center of Montgomery, Alabama, which tracks violence against blacks, gays and others, said attacks against gays tend to be more severe than offenses against other groups.

Hate crime offenses are far more serious than comparable crimes that do not involve prejudice because hate crimes are intended to intimidate an entire group.

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