Hate_Crimes__Criminal_Profile,_Causes,_Victims,_and_Minimization

Abstract Discrimination and hate crimes are nothing new. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 enacted the Federally Protected Activities Law in 1969, allowing the federal prosecution of any person or persons, who because another's race, color, religion or national origin, while participating in a federally protected activity, such as voting or going to school, willfully injures or attempts to injure, intimidates or attempts to intimidate or interfere with them(18 USC § 245, n.d.). In 1994 the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was passed where in Section 280003(a) a hate crime is defined where a person intentionally selects a victim, or a property crime, to commit a crime because of race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or homeless status of the victim (28 USC § 994, 1994). The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, was signed by President Obama on October 28, 2009 as a rider to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010 (H.R. 2647) as a result to the murders of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., expanding the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's race, sexual orientation, gender identity, actual or perceived gender, or disability (Weiner, 2010). As we can see, hate crimes are felonies but they are still committed every day, and sociologists continue to study what drives individuals to commit such crimes and find a way to minimize them. Hate Crimes: Criminal Profile, Causes, Victims, and Minimization We read about them in the newspapers and we hear about them in the six o'clock news - a young gay man was attacked as he left a night club, or a Latino male was beaten up while waiting on a corner. These unfortunate events are classified as 'hate crimes' and they can occur anywhere within our local communities or anywhere in the world. These hate crimes are the product of a lack of knowledge and understanding of the diverse groups that make this wonderful country " a land of opportunity". Hate crimes, also known as bias crimes, have become an uncomfortable 'thorn on our sides' sort of speak during the last decades. These are senseless crimes motivated by a hatred, or lack of knowledge and misunderstanding of different characteristics such as national origin or ethnicity, religion, race, disability, and sexual orientation of others, thereby making these groups the key targets of the hate crime offender, and it is these motivational factors that set hate crimes apart from other crimes (Partners Against Hate, 2013). Surprisingly, the majority of hate crimes seem to be committed by juveniles, or young white males between the ages of 16 and 25; according to the FBI Hate Crime Statistics for 2011 and released on December 10, 2012, in 2011 alone 6,222 criminal incidents involving 7,254 offenses were reported resulting from a bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability; out of which 59% of the 5,731 known offenders were white, 20.9%were black, 10.8 % were unknown race, and 9.3% accounted for the races of the remaining known offenders (FBI Releases, 2012 ). The vast majority of these crimes are usually committed by single individuals not members of organized hate groups (The Psychology of Hate Crimes, n.d.). There are several factors that motivate individuals to commit hate crimes, they are: • Prejudice against a person's race, sexual orientation, and religion • Ill-bred, immoral, aggressive, narrow-minded individuals, ridden by hatred of people • Lacking critical thinking, conflict resolution skills, empathy, and respect for others • Driven by bursts of anger or the thrill of the actions • Influenced by the consumption of alcohol and drugs • Motivated with a feeling of having to rid the world of certain minorities such as immigrants, Hispanic-Americans, gays and lesbians, etc. The effects and results of these hate crimes can be devastating to any community. These crimes introduce fear in members of minority groups living in these communities by sending messages that given groups of residents in the community are not welcomed, thus making their schools, parks, neighborhood, and workplace seem unsafe. The result of these crimes in a community gives a general feeling to its residents that not only is it not safe for members of a particular religion, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation to live there, but it 'eats away' and traumatizes the entire community's confidence of being free of this type of crime in its neighborhoods (Seligman, 2011). Victims and communities are psychologically affected and traumatized by these hate crimes more than other types of crimes because it makes them vulnerable due to their cultural, spiritual, and personal identities. Bullying is a form of hate crime and it not always occur on a person-to-person basis. It must be noted that hate crimes can also begin over the internet via emails. Many such crimes have been associated to juveniles that use this means of communication to spread fear to school mates who are of a different race, religion, or sexual orientation. It is known as Cyber Bullying and it is a form of hate crime. Cyber Bullying involves malicious or discomforting rumors to coercion, aggravation, or persecution, it can affect any age group, but teens and young adults are the typical victims. Many cases of Cyber Bullying has lead to youth suicide in considerable numbers of our school aged population from elementary to universities; such use of the internet is also punishable by law (Kaplan & Moss, 2003). According to the National Crime Prevention Council (2001), education to communities, school teachers, students, and public safety departments is a key component in creating a safe, healthy and violence-free environment in our neighborhoods and communities by raising an awareness of the impact of the effects of these crimes and helps them in identifying, preventing, and dealing with these incidents. In conclusion, hate crimes are mainly committed by individuals that are prejudiced and feel threatened by the presence of certain groups of people due to lack of intolerance, incorrect information, or influence from other groups that would instigate in an individual a hatred that would lead them to commit these senseless crimes of hate. The media, whether in print or televised, may share some of the blame due to the manner that they present the news by, in order to gain more attention "blowing up" situations that involve immigrant and religious groups, as well as situations involving the gay/lesbian communities. These crimes are felonies and in the public statement of former Democratic Vice President Al Gore in support of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, following a March 11, 1999 press conference: "We must send a clear and strong message to all who would commit crimes of hate: it is wrong, it is illegal, and we will catch you and punish you to the full force of our laws" (Giordano, 1999). References 18 USC §245- Bias-motivated interference with federally protected rights. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.adl.org/assets/pdf/combating-hate/Hate-Crimes-Law-The-ADL- Approach.pdf 28 USC § 994 - Hate crime sentencing enhancement act. (1994). Retrieved from http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F'c103:1:./temp/~c103kVNlGO:e927518: FBI releases 2011 hate crime statistics. (2012, December 10). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2011-hate-crime-statistics Giordano, S. A. (1999, March 24). Activists: Murders further show need for federal hate laws. Retrieved from http://www.baywindows.com/activists-murders-further-show-need-for- federal-hate-laws-67654 Kaplan, J. E., & Moss, M. P. (2003, September). Investigating crimes on the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.partnersagainsthate.org/publications/investigating_hc.pdf National Crime Prevention Council. (2001). Strategy: Educating the public about hate crimes. Retrieved from http://www.ncpc.org/topics/hate-crime/strategies/strategy-educating-the- public-about-hate-crimes Partners against hate. (2013). How do hate crimes affect local communities' Retrieved from http://www.partnersagainsthate.org/about_hate_crimes/faq-html.html Seligman, S. (2011). Hate crimes impact our entire community. Retrieved from http://archive.adl.org/ADL_Opinions/Civil_Rights/20110901-Albuquerque+Journal+op- ed.htm The psychology of hate crimes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/about/gr/issues/violence/hate-crimes-faq.pdf References (continued) Weiner, R. (2010, March 18). Hate crimes bill signed into law 11 years after Matthew Shepard's death. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/28/hate-crimes-bill-to-be- si_n_336883.html