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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.