Premium Essay

Crime Vs Hate Crime Essay

Submitted By
Words 571
Pages 3
An individual’s ability to distinguish between an ordinary criminal offense and a hate crime is dependent upon their understanding of the terms bias, and attitude. An attitude is characterized by a positive, or negative, emotionally induced idea that elicits specific actions in response to certain situations. Bias, is defined as a prefabricated attitude toward a group on the basis of sexual orientation, race, religion, disability, or ethnicity/national origin (McMahon and others, 2004). Thus, hate crimes (which are also known as biased crimes), are criminal offenses that are driven by an extreme hatred or bias against the group to which the individual that is harmed, or piece of property that is damaged, belongs to(APA, YEAR). For example, …show more content…
As the amount of hate crimes committed drastically rises throughout the United States, it is crucial for American citizens to raise awareness about bias crimes and the severe psychological damage that is inflicted upon the victim(s). Hate crimes are significantly different from any other ordinary crime; they do not only affect the individual victim, but they also impose threats towards all members of the group (to which the individual victim belongs to) (Craig and Waldo, 1996). Members of negatively stereotyped minority groups, such as African-Americans, Muslims, and gays, are most likely to be the victims of a hate crime. The perpetrator of a bias crime aims to produce intense feelings of anxiety in the members of these targeted groups, and ultimately, proposes the terrifying idea that any one of the group members could be the next victim (Craig and Waldo, 1996). In addition to the severe anxiety experienced by members of these groups, the victims of these heinous crimes typically suffer from various psychological disorders (e.g., depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, stress, anxiety). Not only do the survivors of violent hate crimes have a much greater risk of suffering from psychological distress than

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Racism in Hawaii Nei

...understanding and devotion. Acceptance plays an enormous role but as soon as an individual is tolerant to these differences, a great amount of possibilities is opened for him. But what if someone is unable to withstand or accept these changes? This is where the more serious issues rise. ‘Racism is the incapability to accept others for who they are’, which leads to some serious consequences such as prejudice, hate crimes, and could end in assault leading to death. Racism is a worldwide issue in today’s society and most people are trying to fight against it. My essay is composed of racism in Hawaii to which I believe to a certain extent there is. As human beings we are all entitles with the basic rights of living which includes food, shelter, clothing, health care, education and freedom of socializing. Racism in the United States has been a major issue since the slave era and most of our country’s founding fathers have tried to work against it. Hawaii is known for its Aloha spirit to which basically means to love one another as if you were family but what nobody realizes is the amount of hate some people have towards other races on the Hawaiian Islands. ‘Stupid Haole’ is a term used by many locals here in Hawaii Nei which means “no breath”. White families are judged as soon as they step off that plane and begin to live here. This leads all the way back to ancient Hawaiian history of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy. Since 1840 the Hawaiian Islands have been an escape to a tropical...

Words: 797 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Casinos Toronto Campaign

... No Casinos Toronto Campaign Conflict expansion is the incorporated use of advocacy and lobbying, in an attempt to influence legislation changes. In the No Casinos Toronto Campaign, the advocacy groups employed conflict expansion to carry out the course. The groups ensured that most individuals in Toronto are aware of the campaign, and what it entails. They also coerced councilors to make legislation in opposition of the intended casino in the city. In their campaign, the advocacy groups ensured that councilors did not have a wide room for voting in favor of the casino. Conflict expansion is the rigorous use of lobbying and advocacy to manipulate legislation, without giving legislators much of a choice. This essay will evaluate the efficacy of conflict expansion, in regard to No Casinos Toronto Campaign. The advocacy groups in the “No Casinos Toronto Campaign” first contacted the legislators in the city regarding their opposing views on the proposed mega-casino. They wrote to the relevant authorities, regarding the upcoming effects of the casino on the public, the businesses and the Toronto society in general. They tried to convince the councilors to legislate in opposition of the mega-casino proposition (TogetherToronto, 2013). After communicating their stand with the legislators, the advocacy groups then launched and online campaign. The online campaign was to get the public opinion against the mega-casino. This public opinion intended...

Words: 840 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Dreams

...Caitlin Spisak Professor Laudani Communications 1 22 September 2013 Free Speech Essay Freedom of speech is under threat around the world. On one side of this battle are governments and corporations seeking, to various degrees, to set limits on what is acceptable to say and what is not. On the other are ordinary citizens and activists demanding that their voices be heard -- voices that, in this new age of smartphones and social media, are harder than ever to silence, even as technology puts new implements of censorship into the hands of autocrats. In many cases, the battle is being joined in societies that are struggling with the powerful repercussions of free expression for the first time. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (The Constitution). The first amendment of the Constitution states that people have the freedom of speech. Plain and simple this means that people have the right to say whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want. The Bill of Rights does not address offensive speech, so, there is no way of knowing what offensive speech actually is. Offensive speech to one person could be the daily prayers of another. The freedom of speech was given to the people to protect all speech, even speech that...

Words: 433 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Novel Project: 1984

...The Novel Project Your name: Giselle Gonzalez Your Novel: 1984 – George Orwell 1. Explain how the novel represents two or more concerns of its historical time period; these concerns may be economic, political, cultural, social, or moral concerns. Clarify the author’s view on one of the following as s/he presents the concerns: right vs wrong; conservative vs radical, or elite vs commonplace. Orwell published “1984” in 1948 just after the end of World War II. Although at this time, Hitler’s reign was brought to an end, Joseph Stalin, another ruthless leader was still in power. Though they were adversaries during WW II, both men shared acute similarities in their success towards creating a totalitarian government much like the one seen in “Nineteen Eighty-Four.” The ghastly, but impressive ease with which each ruler rose and remained in power is possibly what caused Orwell to focus so heavily on political concerns in his novel. While there are no direct allusions to the Adolf Hitler or Stalin, the political devices used by the Party to control Party members in Oceania are undeniably parallel to the manipulation and brutality that each ruler used to control government. Big Brother for instance, is a fearless leader who is loved by all of the Party members. Though it is never confirmed whether or not he is a real person or just an idea, citizens praise him almost instinctively, posters of him are found in every building, and badmouthing him is not only an act of audacity, but punishable...

Words: 4296 - Pages: 18

Free Essay

Utopian and Cyberpunk Societies

...America: On the Path to Utopia or Cyberpunk? As I sat and listened to multiple political science essays in the last few weeks of my Honors Colloquium class, some essential concepts really stuck out to me and resonated in my mind. The idea of a utopian society that was brought forth in class got me thinking of how our world would be like today if we adopted some utopian methods of living. In America we are very blessed to live in the land of opportunity yet we are always focused on what is the next and best opportunity for us to seize. The American people have grown accustomed to a fast paced living, never stopping to look around at the beauty of nature that surrounds them or share a smile with a stranger. We are always on to the next best thing and we forget to appreciate the aspects of human life that really matter. If we as a people decided to change our patterns of everyday living we could make America more than the land of the free and opportunity. If we connected with a utopian lifestyle, we might find ourselves actually enjoying life or maybe we will discover utopia isn’t the right choice for the direction of our country’s future. Either way in this paper, I am going to introduce the key elements of a utopian society and also another society that I think represents where America is heading today and into the future. A utopia is a community or society possessing highly desirable or perfect qualities. Utopia can be seen as an imaginary society of sorts because it does...

Words: 1003 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Religious and Ethnic Groups

...rich variety of people that our culture would be rather tolerant and appreciative of different schools of thought and races. While there are many individuals out there that have this attitude, there are also many that do not. Granted, our country is still much more accepting when compared to many others. However, discrimination against and persecution of those that don’t fit in or follow the rest of general society is quite a problem. When I think about this problem in our country, there are two groups of people that immediately come to my mind: Muslims and African Americans. Though these two groups are in completely different categories, they face many of the same problems in terms of discrimination in America. Within the scope of this essay, we will learn about some differences between Muslims, African Americans, and various other groups. We will also take a look at their overall experiences, as well as some specific examples of discrimination. Islam and Its Followers in America A Muslim is someone who follows the teachings of Islam, a religion believed to have originated in Saudi Arabia in the 7th century (Pecorino, 2001). What is interesting about Islam is that its roots are in the Middle East and it has stayed very influential there (Pecorino, 2001). Christianity, the predominant religion in America, also has its roots in the Middle East. However, Christianity isn’t nearly as present now in the Middle East as Islam. As a matter of fact, Christianity is now the predominant...

Words: 1416 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Racism Consultation

...begin to address the issue of racism. It is the school's responsibility as well as the parent's to see to it that differences are accepted and not devalued. Antiracist education is also a very helpful approach in reducing racism in schools. This essay will go into detail about how racism is taught to children, characteristics of a racist child or a victim of racism, as well as techniques to prevent or reduce racism in children. Ms. Carlson, the middle school counselor, was approached with an issue that involves two of her students. It appears that Billy has been making racial comments to Tommy, an African American boy. Ms. Carlson is aware of different schools participating in antiracist and multicultural education, however their school does not incorporate this type of teaching. The school is located in a conservative town and Ms. Carlson feels that this type of education will not be welcomed in the school district. She has asked me to speak with Billy and Tommy to see what factors play into a child who has become racist along with what type of behaviors or characteristics are shown in a child that has been a victim of racism. Note: all names have been changed to protect the identity of those involved within this essay. I spoke with Billy while at the school and learned basic information about his family, I also phoned his parents to ask permission to meet the family one evening. Billy has an...

Words: 3137 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Freedom Jungle

...The Oxford English Dictionary defines freedom as "The state of being able to act without hindrance or restraint, liberty of action". More often than not, people do not take the time to realize all of the freedoms in existence around the world today. Take a moment and realize the importance of freedom based upon the many struggles today and in the past for this ideal. Many major campaigns, wars, and conflicts have been driven by the conquest for freedom. The definition of freedom can be explained best using the literary concepts of description, exemplification, and negation. Freedom is a very complicated word to define in any one way. It presents many challenges in our direction. It can be interpreted various ways because there are so many freedoms that are available to discuss and consult. If people were not allowed basic freedoms, such as freedom of speech, the world would be a drastically different place to live in. Freedom has never come easily and most likely never will for anyone or any place. People with great freedom in their lives are always proud and delighted at the achievement. Malinowski wrote, "Freedom is a symbol which stands for a sublime and powerful ideal. The same symbol, however, may become a dangerous weapon in the hands of the enemies of freedom". Indeed, freedom is quite powerful and when the wrong person possesses the power, it can become very limiting upon society's basic freedoms. Bronislaw Malinowski wrote, "Freedom can be defined as...

Words: 4115 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

Crime

... four banks were attacked in an hour-and-a-half; one daytime raid took place just steps from the Lincoln Center in downtown Manhattan. The week before, San Diego had seen four bank holdups in a single day. Criminologists wondered if the holiday spree was the first sign of a looming crime wave in recession-battered America. Take an uptick in poverty and economic misery, toss in budget cuts to police departments across the country, and that should be a blueprint for chaos—right? Except, as it turns out, the exact opposite occurred. According to FBI statistics, crime rates went down across the board in 2009. Way down. Murder, rape, robbery, assault, auto theft—plummeted, one and all. Then, this week, the FBI released preliminary data for the first six months of 2010, and again the same pattern emerged. Violent crimes and property crimes alike have been falling in every region of the country. What gives? Have experts just completely misunderstood what causes people to commit crimes?   There's certainly no shortage of theories for why crime rates have gone down over the past two years. The simplest is that crime just isn’t closely related to economic conditions. Consider, after all, the two big crime epidemics in the twentieth century—the first took root in the late 1960s, during a period of healthy growth; the other came during the economic doldrums of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The only constant here, it seems, is that both outbreaks were fueled by a major expansion of drug...

Words: 10363 - Pages: 42

Free Essay

Racism and Ethincity

...Tina Chatmon ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Instructor: Mary Louise Phillips Becker August 2, 2012 Today in the Twenty-first century we still encounter racism in many categories. Ethnic racism which is unfortunately common has been around for centuries.  It would be nice to be able to say that racism is just a thing of the past and that it no longer exists; however, that is not the case.   In this brief essay I will discuss the similarities and differences between the poem “What It’s like to be a Black Girl” and the short story “Country Lovers”. Each story depicts women who experienced racism or prejudices in some shape or form, whether it was because of the color of their skin, being a women or social economic background; in either case the results end up the same. The problem of racism is a complex one; it is difficult to characterize it or place it into one category due to its far reaching effects and implications. The moral issues generate social concerns. ("Racism in america," 2002) Some may have experienced various forms of discrimination such as gender, economic status or weight, but how many have actually experienced racism based on their race? Patricia Smith wrote the poem “What It’s like to be a Black Girl “, this was written in 1991. (Clugston, 2010) There are several different tones Patricia uses during her poem, the first is sad a young girl describing how she feels. As the poem...

Words: 1901 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Seeing Poe’s Struggle with Alcoholism

...Seeing Poe’s Struggle with Alcoholism through his Stories “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Black Cat” Jen Andalou Edgar Allen Poe’s stories “The Black Cat” and “The Cask of Amontillado” are among his most popular. Both of these stories can be read on several different levels causing everyone who reads them to come up with a totally different interpretations, yet none of the interpretations I have read seem satisfying. The two stories at first seem simple enough, with “The Black Cat” reading as a darker version of “The Telltale Heart”, this time with the conscience given a physical form, and “The Cask of Amontillado” as a chilling tale of revenge exacted told as a deathbed confession. Yet these simple interpretations leave too many questions. Many reviewers unfairly single Poe’s works out as coming directly from his subconscious, ignoring not only how carefully Poe chose his words and phrases but also the sources that inspired the stories (E A Poe Society, “Autobiography”). That being said, I think Poe did deliberately use his stories as a kind of self-therapy thus revealing at least a little about himself. A large constant in Poe’s life was his fight with alcohol, which made itself known in his writing in many ways. The main theme of Edgar Allen Poe’s stories “The Black Cat” and “The Cask of Amontillado” centers on the narrators’ attempts to wall off, or suppress, his alcoholism, with the narrator succeeding over alcoholism in “The Cask of Amontillado”...

Words: 4958 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Freakonomics-Expanded

...FREAKONOMICS A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything Revised and Expanded Edition Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner CONTENTS AN EXPLANATORY NOTE In which the origins of this book are clarified. vii PREFACE TO THE REVISED AND EXPANDED EDITION xi 1 INTRODUCTION: The Hidden Side of Everything In which the book’s central idea is set forth: namely, if morality represents how people would like the world to work, then economics shows how it actually does work. Why the conventional wisdom is so often wrong . . . How “experts”— from criminologists to real-estate agents to political scientists—bend the facts . . . Why knowing what to measure, and how to measure it, is the key to understanding modern life . . . What is “freakonomics,” anyway? 1. What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common? 15 In which we explore the beauty of incentives, as well as their dark side—cheating. Contents Who cheats? Just about everyone . . . How cheaters cheat, and how to catch them . . . Stories from an Israeli day-care center . . . The sudden disappearance of seven million American children . . . Cheating schoolteachers in Chicago . . . Why cheating to lose is worse than cheating to win . . . Could sumo wrestling, the national sport of Japan, be corrupt? . . . What the Bagel Man saw: mankind may be more honest than we think. 2. How Is the Ku Klux Klan Like a Group of Real-Estate Agents? 49 In which it is argued that nothing is more powerful than information,...

Words: 105214 - Pages: 421

Premium Essay

It Takes a Nation of Millions

...It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back: The War on Drugs, Mass Incarceration, and a Call to Action for America's Black Youth By Carl L. Young An Alternative Plan Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science In Sociology: Corrections Minnesota State University, Mankato Mankato, Minnesota Spring 2013 Final Draft 4/20/2013 1 This Alternative Plan Paper has been examined and approved by the following members of the Examining Committee. _____________________ Dr. Leah Rogne, Advisor _____________________ Dr. William Wagner _____________________ Dr. Penny Jo Rosenthal _____________________ Dr. Nadarajan Sethuraju ________________ Date 2 Abstract This alternative plan paper examines the circumstances that have evolved as a result of the Reagan Administration’s War on Drugs and the increase of mass incarceration of the Black community. In the last thirty years, the federal government of the United States of America has engaged in campaign known as the “War on Drugs,” which has involved a variety of policies to stop the production, distribution and sale of illegal narcotics. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent in a war that has targeted the most vulnerable in our society, impacting its youth for generations to come. This alternative plan paper addresses the impact of the War on Drugs and the criminal justice policies that have impacted the life chances of Black youth nationwide and calls for a new social movement...

Words: 19872 - Pages: 80

Premium Essay

The Life

...The Hunger Games: Action-film feminism is catching fire  Lisa Schwarzbaum Burning up Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen is both strong and vulnerable – a new kind of action heroine who has powered The Hunger Games: Catching fire to a $158m US debut. (Lionsgate) Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen is a new type of female action film icon, and moviegoers should be very excited about that, writes Lisa Schwarzbaum. As Catching Fire ignites on movie screens around the world, this is what we know about the 21st Century heroine called Katniss Everdeen: she is strong but also soft. She is brave but she has doubts. She is a phenomenal fictional creation, yet is real enough that moviegoers can draw inspiration from her values, her resourcefulness, and her very human inner conflicts. And she is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who appears not only to be handling her current duties as Hollywood’s finest model of well-adjusted millennial female stardom but doing so with charm. Everdeen and Lawrence: golden girls both. Personified in Lawrence’s lithe movements and cool, focused gaze, Katniss is a brave, resourceful and independent-minded fighter; but she is also a troubled and vulnerably guilt-ridden human being. Nina Jacobson, the producer of the Hunger Games film franchise, puts it this way: “She is a singular heroine in that the burden of survival weighs on her. She has a ton of survivor’s guilt.  And she keeps surviving.” Girl on fire It is strange that behaving like a well-adjusted...

Words: 16355 - Pages: 66

Free Essay

Pedophile

...* * Child Molestation and Homosexuality Ann Landers used to proclaim that the statement “Homosexuals are more inclined to molest children sexually than heterosexuals” is false.1 The American Psychological Association sponsored a work asserting: “Recognized researchers in the field on child abuse,… almost unanimously concur that homosexual people are actually less likely to approach children sexually.”2 Why is it, then, that we read about sex between boys and men in every newspaper? Does it merely reflect sensationalist journalism? We know that heterosexual molestation also occurs. But since there are so many more heterosexuals than homosexuals, which kind of child molestation — homosexual or heterosexual — is proportionately more common? The Scientific Evidence Three kinds of scientific evidence point to the proportion of homosexual molestation: 1) survey reports of molestation in the general population, 2) surveys of those caught and convicted of molestation, and 3) what homosexuals themselves have reported. These three lines of evidence suggest that the 1%-to-3% of adults who practice homosexuality3account for between a fifth and a third of all child molestation. Reports of Molestation by the General Population In 1983, a probability survey of the sexual experiences of 4,340 adults in five U.S. cities found that about 3% of men and 7% of women reported sexual involvement with a man before the age of 13 (i.e., 30% was homosexual).4 In 1983-84, a random survey...

Words: 23815 - Pages: 96