Hate crimes are crimes motivated by bias or prejudice, and can include attacks based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, cultural origin, political beliefs, economic status, and disability. Hate crime legislation emerged in the 1970s, with the US leading the way. Perpetrators of hate crimes are charged with both the crime itself and the fact that it was motivated by bias. Hate crime laws send a message that such crimes will not be tolerated and often include outreach programs to deter hate crimes.
A hate crime is a crime that is fueled by bias or bias. For example, assaulting someone for being in a wheelchair is considered a hate crime in many regions of the world. Although hate crimes have been perpetrated throughout history, hate crime awareness and legislation did not emerge until the 1970s, with the United States at the forefront of hate crime legislation. Numerous nations around the world have followed suit to protect their vulnerable social groups from hate crimes.
A wide variety of biases can be involved in a hate crime. Attacks based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, cultural origin, political beliefs, economic status, and disability are often included under the umbrella of “hate crimes,” depending on the nation that writes the law. As a general rule, hate crime legislation clearly defines the acts that are considered hate crimes and often provides for additional punishments for a hate crime.
In countries with hate crime legislation, when someone commits a hate crime, they will be prosecuted both for the crime itself and for the fact that it was motivated by bias. So when someone kills a person of the Jewish faith because he is a Jew, the perpetrator will be charged with murder and a hate crime. If convicted of either count, the perpetrator will be sentenced to a longer prison term and may also be forced to take education or participate in a community service program.
You may also hear a hate crime referred to as a bias-motivated crime. Hate crimes can take the form of harassment, bullying, distribution of inflammatory materials, assault, intimidation or damage to property. If a crime can be linked to hateful expression, as in the case of someone spraying anti-gay graffiti on the home of a known gay man, it is treated as a hate crime.
Hate crime legislation obviously cannot protect people from hate crimes, but it sends a clear message to society that hate crimes will not be tolerated. Nations with hate crime laws on the books also often have outreach educational programs and other methods for connecting with people to deter hate crimes and break down prejudicial barriers. In many of these societies, prejudice is viewed as socially unacceptable, which further stigmatizes the act of committing a hate crime.
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