What Are Hate Crimes ?
Hate crimes refer to any crimes committed because the perpetrator(s) have a prejudice or bias. For instance, deliberately assaulting a disabled person is considered as a hate crime. These crimes have been in existence for centuries, but in was only in the 1970s that people became aware of these crimes. In fact, the US is one of the many nations that has several laws making hate crimes into criminal offenses. |
A hate crime is committed for several reasons, but bias forms the basis for such crimes. The bias can be for race, religion, gender, ethnicity, ethnicity, political beliefs, economic status, disability and cultural origin. And any person harboring these biases can end up committing a hate crime.
In countries that have laws to tackle hate crimes, action is not only taken against the perpetrator for the crime, but also for the bias that he/she harbors. Hence, when a hate crime offender commits murder, he/she will be charged for the hate crime and the murder as well. If the person is found guilty for both crimes, then he/she should be prepared to spend a long time in prison. In addition, the person may also have to enroll for classes to let go of his/her biases and may also be asked to do community service.
A hate crime can be carried out in several ways. The perpetrator may harass, bully, assault or intimidate the victim. In addition, the crime can also be carried out by spreading inflammatory texts or graphics or damaging property. Even a crime that is connected to hatred can be viewed as a hate crime. For instance, if a person knowingly sprays graffiti that is anti-gay on the walls of a person, who is known as a homosexual, it will be deemed as a hate crime.
Unfortunately, though the US and other countries have laws to punish people guilty of hate crimes, the laws cannot protect the victims from the crime. But the laws ensure that people become aware that the jurisdiction will not tolerate hate crime of any sort. The US and other countries have education programs that try to educate people against hate crimes and to help people overcome their prejudices and biases. However, this is difficult as many biases are deep seated.
The FBI states that any criminal offense that is committed against the society, property or person due to bias that the offender harbors against religion, disability, ethnicity, race, or national origin is considered as a hate crime. Even crime committed due to gender or sexual orientation of the victim comes under the purview of hate crime. Usually such crimes hare premeditated and not committed on the spur. The offender’s personal bias is the cause of the crime.
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What Are Hate Crimes
Hate crime can be referred to as bias-motivated crime when a person or group is targeted because of their association with certain social groups which is in turn structured by race, religion, sexual orientation, class, disability, gender, nationality, social status, political affiliation and so on. 
