Are Hate Crime Laws Effective? Recent legislations have been passed to control the rate of bias motivated crimes in the United States. Such crimes are referred to as hate crimes and include the targeting of a victim based on their race, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, disability, etc. Those who take part in hate crimes are to be charged with tougher penalties than those who commit the same crime without bias motivation or, in other words, carry out an act on a victim specifically for something they said or did rather than for a large scale characteristic they possess. Hate crime laws are effective in that they protect the freedoms of the victims as well as prosecute the transgressor. The outrageous violence of hate crimes
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On June 7, 1998, James Byrd Jr. was tricked into accepting a ride by a couple of white men (“Hate Crime Laws"). The men beat and chained Byrd to the back of their vehicle and dragged him three miles before he died. Byrd did not provoke the men in any way and their motives for the crime were strictly that he was a black man. One man was executed, another is awaiting execution, and the last was sentenced to life in prison. In 2003, a group of Latino teenagers was trying to enter into a Chili’s restaurant when they were attacked and beaten by three white men. The men beat and even stabbed one of the victims while shouting racial slurs at them (“Attorney”). One partaker pled guilty, but he only spent 15 months in prison. The other two got away because of “insufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the offense happened because the victims were trying to use the restaurant (a public accommodation)” (“Attorney”). In 2007, Joseph and Georgia Silva assaulted another couple on a public beach. While the Silva’s were assaulting the couple, they repeated racial slurs towards them. Another recently prevalent hate crime includes a person’s sexuality. In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard was robbed and beaten for being gay. He eventually died in the hospital for injuries sustained (“Hate Crime Laws”). Nearly every one of these …show more content…
Having this act passed gives spectators the opportunity to see the effectiveness of hate crime laws. The National Crime Victimization Survey released statistics in 2014 that stated a decrease from 63% in 2003-2007 to 54% in 2007-20011 of hate crimes being race related (“By the Numbers”). This decrease shows the effectiveness of hate crime laws as well as the Hate Crime Statistics Act. A few years later the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was passed, and included the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act of 1994, to define a hate crime and establish increased sentencing for a crime proved to be motivated by prejudice. These two acts opened the door for hate crime awareness and led to opportunities for making a difference in the United States
On June 7, 1998, James Byrd Jr. was tricked into accepting a ride by a couple of white men (“Hate Crime Laws"). The men beat and chained Byrd to the back of their vehicle and dragged him three miles before he died. Byrd did not provoke the men in any way and their motives for the crime were strictly that he was a black man. One man was executed, another is awaiting execution, and the last was sentenced to life in prison. In 2003, a group of Latino teenagers was trying to enter into a Chili’s restaurant when they were attacked and beaten by three white men. The men beat and even stabbed one of the victims while shouting racial slurs at them (“Attorney”). One partaker pled guilty, but he only spent 15 months in prison. The other two got away because of “insufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the offense happened because the victims were trying to use the restaurant (a public accommodation)” (“Attorney”). In 2007, Joseph and Georgia Silva assaulted another couple on a public beach. While the Silva’s were assaulting the couple, they repeated racial slurs towards them. Another recently prevalent hate crime includes a person’s sexuality. In October of 1998, Matthew Shepard was robbed and beaten for being gay. He eventually died in the hospital for injuries sustained (“Hate Crime Laws”). Nearly every one of these …show more content…
Having this act passed gives spectators the opportunity to see the effectiveness of hate crime laws. The National Crime Victimization Survey released statistics in 2014 that stated a decrease from 63% in 2003-2007 to 54% in 2007-20011 of hate crimes being race related (“By the Numbers”). This decrease shows the effectiveness of hate crime laws as well as the Hate Crime Statistics Act. A few years later the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was passed, and included the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act of 1994, to define a hate crime and establish increased sentencing for a crime proved to be motivated by prejudice. These two acts opened the door for hate crime awareness and led to opportunities for making a difference in the United States