The Role Of Hate Crimes In America

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Hate crimes in America are not a new atrocity occurring. As a matter of fact they occur on a daily basis. Los Angeles county district attorney’s office defines hate crime as criminal acts or attempted criminal acts against an individual or group of individuals because of their actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. Motive is a large part of determining whether or not a crime is hate related. We all have prejudices for and against individuals, groups, food, and all sorts of things. The nature of our prejudices are rooted in experiences we have had, sometimes they have been passed down from family members, friends, and our culture. These prejudices can and do spark the crimes committed every day in America such as being opposed to sexual orientation based relationships, being for racism, and having a personal vendetta against someone. The definitions of hate crime differ somewhat from state to state. However, in all cases it refers to criminal conduct caused by prejudice. The term prejudice can be a complicated concept. The extent of hate crimes is most assuredly under estimated. Most victims are fearful and reluctant to report these …show more content…
North Carolina is one of 15 states with hate crime laws that do not include crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Hate crime statistics are reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from reports submitted by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. These reports show that most hate crimes are committed against people and property. The FBI reports that 59% were crimes against people, 37.9% were crimes against property and the remainder was crimes against