Hate Crimes

Hate Crimes

Introduction

Hate crimes are an element of bias that is added to the crime and the new mixture acts as a toxic to the entire community. The greater part of America remained unaware of this term till the 1980s. However, with the emergence of groups like Skinheads that unleashed a wave of terror, this term came into a close focus. These crimes in reality can be dated back to the first quarter of the 20th century when the Ku Klux Klan operated.

Hate crimes can be defined as violent crimes that are led by a blind bias or prejudice towards a particular group of people. Such crimes pose greater challenge as they have a wider impact on the victims and communities because the identity of that community comes under attack in such a crime (APA, 2007).

Thesis statement

To effectively curb out the menace of hate crimes, it is necessary that the challenges that arise on account of such crimes be investigated in depth. It is only after these challenges have been identified that the methods of investigating hate crimes can be made more effective and efficient.

Discussion

The Challenges of Hate Crimes

Crimes that are motivated by feelings of hatred and are directed towards victims on account of their religion, race, ethnicity or color have a negative impact not only on the individuals who are victims but also on the society as a whole. They also pose a serious problem to the law enforcement agencies and investigators. Before identifying the effective methods of investigating hate crimes, it is essential that the challenges that arise on account of hate crimes be recognized. This will not only help in prosecuting hate crimes but also in curbing them.

Research and studies indicate that crimes motivated by hate tend to be more violent and the victims in such cases have a higher chance of suffering from an injury as compared to other attacks. The uniqueness of hate crime attacks is that these attacks are carried out by people who are unaware of their victims and want to hurt them because of the way they perceive their victim to be. The challenge in hate crimes is that victims are left almost vulnerable to their attackers and there is nothing that they can do such as change their appearances (Levin & McDevitt, 2002).

Hate crimes are also more challenging because they have a wider impact on the entire community as compared to other crimes. Since such attacks of hatred are led by a bias, they tend to carry a broader message to the entire community of the intolerance that exists against them. Thus, the message could prove to be far more threatening to other members of the victim's community than too the victim alone. The truth is that crimes that are based on the selection of characteristics such as the race, religion or color can make other members of the same community feel vulnerable to such victimization. It can cause panic among such people, and also limit their freedom of ...