HATE CRIME ROSE MARIE LICHTENFELS, MSW, MA, LCSW

HATE CRIME DEFINITION A hate crime as defined by the U.S. Department of Justice, is “violence of intolerance and bigotry, intended to hurt and intimidate someone because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability”. Hate crimes can come in the form of rape, sexual assault, verbal or physical harassment, vandalism and robbery, as well as attacks on homes or places of worship.

HATE CRIME An important component to a hate crime is the offender’s perception of the victim. Whether the victim is actually a member of a protected group is immaterial. The relevant point is that the perpetrator perceives the victim possesses this characteristic and acts because he or she thinks the victim belongs to that group.

RESPONSE TO HATE CRIMES California became the first state to target hate crime in Only a handful of states joined them in passing legislation against this type of crime. Today, at least 45 other states have some type of hate crime legislation in place.

SENTENCING ENHANCEMENT If the offender selected the victim solely because of his or her race, color, heritage, religion, sexual orientation, homeless status, disability, or old age, then the incident became more heinous then usual. If this could be proved at trail then judges can use sentencing enhancements to raise the applicable penalty allowed under sentencing guidelines.

2012 STATISTS OF 6,718 CRIMES In 2012, 5,796 hate crime incidents involving 6,718 offenses and 7,164 victims were known to police. Offenders by Race: 41.6% were white 14.8% were black 4.8% were of other or multiple races 8.5% were unknown

2012 STATISTS TYPES OF CRIMES Crimes against persons 41% committed simple assault 27.8% intimidated their victims 19.8% committed aggravated assault 9.5% raped their victim 0.1% murdered their victim 0.9% committed other types of offenses

2012 CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY Of these offenders: 53.6% committed destruction/damage/vandalism 17.8% committed robbery 11.7% committed larceny-theft 10.3% committed burglary 2.6% committed motor vehicle theft 3.5% committed other types of offenses

2012 CRIMES MOTIVATION What motivated offenders to commit these crimes?  48.3% were racially motivated  19.6% resulted from sexual orientation bias  19.0% were motivated by religious bias  11.5% stemmed from ethnicity/national origin bias  1.6% were prompted by disability bias

WHY THEY COMMITTED THESE OFFENSES People who commit hate crimes may do so because they are: Ignorant about people who are different from themselves and are terrified of the difference They need to be able to look down on others in order to compensate for their own low self- esteem They have been brutalized themselves, though not by their victims, and therefore see brutalizing as a fair game

BOTTOM LINE The most frequent type of hate crime involves racial intimidation. While 64.5% of the victims are black, a sizeable number of these events 23.5% involve white victims Of the religion based crimes 61.3% involve people of the Jewish faith and 11.8% were of the Islamic faith. Of the incidents of sexual-orientation bias 53.3% were against male homosexuals. Offenses that target people because of their physical or mental disabilities occur the least often.

HATE CRIMES VS. HATE INCIDENTS A hate incident is any act, whether consisting of conduct, speech, or expression, to which a bias motive is evident as a contributing factor, without regard for whether the act constitutes a crime. Hate incidents involve behaviors that, though motivated by bias against a victim's race, religion, ethnic/national origin, gender, or age, are not necessarily criminal acts. Hostile or hateful speech, for example may be motivated by bias but is not illegal.

HATE CRIME FORMS Hate Crime is a crime against you, your friends, your family or your property because of your actual or presumed sexual orientation, transgender identity, disability, race or religion. It can involve: Physical and verbal attacks Vandalism and graffiti Cyber bullying Abusive text messaging and hate mail Offensive signs or gestures Threatening behaviors

EFFECTS ON VICTIMS The effect of a hate crime on an individual can be quite drastic. Due to the fact that the crime is committed because of their identity (race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability), an individual may experience an array of additional emotional distress. This additional emotional distress is on top of the already severe emotional response an individual experiences from a crime.

EFFECTS CONTINUED Hate crime affects the individual in every area of their life, work, school and home. People who experience such crime may feel guilty, humiliated and too embarrassed to complain. Stress may lead to emotional symptoms such as a loss of self- confidence and self-esteem. The physical symptoms include loss of sleep, headaches. Further more serious physical and mental health problems may develop, not only for the victim, but also for the family.

FEELINGS Feeling isolated and vulnerable Feeling that your self-respect has been taken away from you Feeling embittered, angry or frustrated Having a sense of self-blame Protecting yourself but finding yourself on the wrong side of the law Loss of faith in the police and criminal justice system Feeling like retaliating but fearing reprisals

FEELINGS A break-down in family relationships Finding it difficult to cope Having a sense of despair Finding that nobody believes you Feeling hated by others Feeling afraid to let your children out Feeling afraid to go out and staying in Suffering from emotional/mental stress

WAYS TO HELP VICTIMS Respond in a courteous, respectful, and professional manner to the feelings and needs of the victim. Assist the victim in identifying or contacting individuals or agencies that may provide support and/or assistance: family members, friends, clergy, and/or community service agencies Allow the victim to use his or her own words. Use interpreter, If necessary Keep questions simple (victim may be distraught)

THINGS TO AVOID Being abrupt or rushed Making assumptions or jumping to conclusions - particularly about the victim's culture, religion, or lifestyle choices Allowing personal value judgments about the victim's behavior, lifestyle or culture to affect your objectivity Using stereotyped or biased terms

THINGS TO AVOID Telling victim(s) that you know how they feel Minimizing the victim's feelings or the seriousness of the incident, particularly if the perpetrator was a juvenile Asking them whether they think this was a bias or hate crime - Rather, ask them if they have any idea why this happened to them Criticizing the victim's behavior

REASONS VICTIMS DO NOT REPORT THESE CRIMES Common Responses: I don’t want the hassle It will go away if I ignore it This must be normal behavior I will get used to it There might be repercussions

REASONS VICTIMS DO NOT REPORT THESE CRIMES Common Reactions Continued: I might be called a troublemaker This is probably just a few isolated incidents I can handle it myself Nothing is going to be done anyway I don’t want to get anyone into trouble It might affect my career