Hate_Crimes

Abstract Every year, thousands of innocent people are victims of such hate crimes. Each one of them has an effect in our communities by creating fear and tensions that affect all of us. This paper has a special place in my heart to the fact that I have a child who is a lesbian and constantly I am concerned for her safety due to all of the Hate Crimes against homosexuals. While writing this paper, it will open up the mind of the reader on just what gays and lesbians go through on a daily basis in regards to the acts of violence against them, which are considered hate crimes and the individuals that commit this horrible crime should be prosecuted. Also you will learn of two individuals that were murdered due to their sexual preference by cowards who could not accept their lifestyle. What is a hate crime and should a person be prosecuted for them is the question. Hate Crime is defined as an attack on an individual or their property because the victim is intentionally selected because of their race, color, religious preference, gender or sexual orientation. This type of violation can become a crime if it involved the use of force. Hate crimes are intended to hurt and intimidate someone because of the above. In today’s society, there is a new form of hate which is beginning to brew. This hatred has been present in some form or another for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Throughout the world, people are drawn toward a specific group with whom they can relate. Hispanics generally socialize more with other Hispanics, black people tend to stick to their own group of other black friends and males and females tend to form groups of buddies with other males or females. All of these things are done by people every day without any sort of arguments being brought up. However, when the issue of one’s sexuality is brought up, an overwhelming number of people take a stance based on beliefs which have risen due to their own hatred for another group of people. Homosexuals have a really hard time with the hate crime and the laws that are not there to protect them. The problem of hate crimes being committed against homosexuals isn’t just focused here in the United States either. It is a global problem which will one day spark the new formation of a hate group similar to the KKK. Two specific cases have made national news one back in the early 80s which was of Steve Kennedy who was shot to death in San Francisco and the other one was Mr. Matthew Shepard who was beaten, tied to a fence like a crucifix and left for dead back in the late 90s. With these two cases the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Project (LGBT) have been fighting for the states to start imposing harsher punishment for those who attack people just because of their sexual orientation. Although no one will know what was going through the minds of those who beat Matthew that night, or why the individual decided to take Steve’s life in a flash, but this we do know is that people like that are attacked on a regular basis. If people could understand others religion/beliefs and respect them, then we would be living in a perfect world. That is never going to happen but if this were to happen, the world would be a much better place to live. If people could only dissolve their immature hatred toward another group, then there would be no hate crimes. Homosexuals would no longer have to watch their back or worried about having some sort of violent act committed against them. Innocent victims like Matthew Shepard and Steve Kennedy would still have the chance to live a happy and fulfilling life. Restorative justice has several different models and some of them would work in favor of individuals who were hurt from such hate crimes and even might help the offender along with the community as well. There are three principles that form the foundation for restorative justice which are to restores those who have been injured, those who have been affected by the crime have the right to participate in the process of the punishment if they desire and then of course the government’s role to preserve public order and peace. First you would need to identify and the problem at hand, then take steps to help repair any harm that might have been caused by the act at hand. There are several different programs out there just finding one that would be the best for the crime committed is the hard part. Some of the different programs are Victim offender mediation, conferencing, victim assistance, restitution and even community service. One that I am very familiar with is the victim mediation program, this program is very helpful, because you are allowed to set down with the offender and find out why they committed the crime in the first place, this type program is also good if you want closure to the crime committed. Another one I have seen work for others is community service, this allows the offender to work off their punishment by conducting community service and depending on the city and crime is going to depend on what they have to do. All of the programs that are out there are not just for the victim but for the criminal as well. Some of the research instruments you can use to measure the victims of this type of hate crime are out there on the FBI websites and you can also get more than enough information from Google especially for crimes against homosexuals. The figures are scary and what is even worse than that is the time and punishment individuals do for this type of a crime. Like in Matthew Shepard’s case, most said he deserved what he got, because the individuals that did this thought that he was flirting with them. Regardless of what people think, you as a human have the right to protection. People who would commit this type of crime would fall under the conflict theory, because of the fact that this theory states, that people make their own choices, it is not because of some type of disability or mental status. With this said, in this theory people either want to try and fit in with a certain type of gang of people, show them that they are above the law and can do whatever it takes or they are just downright mean and do not have a care in the world. Regardless of which both are wrong attitudes to have and should be stopped. Hate crimes are vicious and ridiculous, people can be mean at any time and it seems to not bother them at all. Until the government takes a firm stance against individuals like this and start enforcing the laws that are there we are going to continue to have problems. Sexual orientation should not be treated any different then religion preferences, and if the public could see that individuals who have different sexual preference are normal people who work for a living and pay their debt to society then we would not have to worry about this type of hate crimes. Reference Balanced and Restorative Justice Practice, Retrieved 20 Nov 2010 from Website http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/pubs/implementing/competency.html Brown-Jones, Delores & Henriques, Zelma (1997). Promises and pitfalls of mentoring as a juvenile justice strategy. Criminal Justice Periodicals-Social Justice, Winter 97, 212. Harris County Youth Advocate Program in Houston Texas. Counselor Magazine, Retrieved 19 Nov 2010, from Website http://www.counselormagazine.com/component/content/article/31-adolescents/102-reclaiming-the-futures-of-teens-in-the-juvenile-justice-system-a-new-vision-for-success Extension, (2007), Extension, Retrieved from 20 Nov 2010 from Website http://www.extension.org/pages/Negative_Reinforcement. Interscience Article, Retrieved 19 Nov 2010 from Website http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122244819/abstract'CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 Williams, F. P., & McShane, M. D. (2009). Criminological Theory (5th ed.). UpperSaddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.