Every year, thousands of Americans come under attack because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or a disability. These attacks can range from name-calling, offensive jokes, and social exclusion to life-threatening acts of violence. When these attacks cross the line into criminal activity, they are considered to be hate crimes.
Hate crimes can take many forms; A black teenager is beaten up by white teenagers while walking through a suburb. Swastikas are painted on a synagogue. A gay man is killed and another is injured when they are attacked by a group of men outside a gay bar. A transgender male or female. A bomb threat is called in to a local Islamic center, and racial epithets are shouted at children wearing traditional Arab clothing.
Not only do hate crimes affect individual victims, but can also harm every other member of the group that individual represents, creating a sense of fear, vulnerability, insecurity, distrust, and outrage. They can also launch cycles of retaliation and counter-retaliation among groups. Almost two-thirds of reported attacks are committed by individuals under the age of 24. Although people of all racial and ethnic groups commit hate crimes, young white males commit majority of them.
Most victims of violent hate crimes are also young: more than half of the victims of reported hate violence are age 24 or under, and nearly a third are under 18. African Americans, Jews, Arab Americans and Muslims, new immigrants, lesbians, gay men, and women are some of the most frequently targeted groups.
Four definitions of the term "hate crime" are:
• Hate Crimes Statistics Act (1990): "crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, including where appropriate the crimes of murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, aggravated assault, simple assault, intimidation, arson, and destruction, damage or vandalism of property." ( Public Law 101-275)
• Bureau of Justice Administration (BJA; 1997): "hate crimes--or bias-motivated crimes--are defined as offenses motivated by hatred against a victim based on his or her race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or national origin."
• Anti-Defamation League (ADL): A hate crime is "any crime committed because of the victim’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, gender [male or female] or sexual orientation."
• National Education Association (NEA): "Hate crimes and violent acts are defined as offenses motivated by hatred against a victim based on his or her beliefs or mental or physical characteristics, including race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.
Violent hate crime victimization often causes great risks of psychological distress stress, depression, anger) than the victims of other violent crimes. Victims of hate crimes are also at risk of developing mental health problems that involve anxiety, depression and post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Almost every generation has felt itself threatened by increasing crime and violence. However, no country has yet developed completely reliable methods for measuring the volume and trend of crime.