Hate Crimes – Cause and Effects
AIU Online

Abstract
This essay will look at motives of an individual and the people that may be targeted by their deviance. What causes an individual to deviate from the norms of society will be discussed along with the effects it has on an individual and members of the community. At last we will look at laws and education that may be useful in minimizing the occurrence of these deviances.

Hate Crimes – Cause and Effects Hate crimes it seems are the newest deviances in our social justice vocabulary. Specific hate crime statutes started being passed by state legislatures in the late 80’s following research that showed an escalation of crime that was triggered by prejudice (Hate Crime). Emile Durkheim proposed the structural-functional approach to deviance saying that it is a necessary function to set and affirm our moral boundaries (Macionis, ch. 9, pp 197). But what is a hate crime; do we need a special classification for them and what type of individual would commit these acts? Crimes that are committed due to prejudices of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and other reasons are said to be hate motivated. Unfortunately, the federal government and the thirty plus states that have hate crime statutes cannot come together to agree or precisely define its meaning (Hate Crime). This confusion exists because of the first amendment rights to free speech and the difficulty in regulating individual’s beliefs. To find out who the social deviants are who commit hate crimes, we can look at the profiles generated law enforcement, researchers, activists, and judicial officials. Most offenders are individuals, not members of groups and nationally, most of these individuals are males in their late teens to early twenties (Steinberg, A., Brooks, J., Remtulla, T. 2003). Most of these are at risk youth that do not have a supportive family environment. They come from broken or one-parent homes and they lack a sense of identity. They can have either a low or very high self-esteem. Because the youth lack these basic necessities, they tend to use their prejudices in their environment to cast improper feelings and anger to a whole group of people and not just a single individual by whom the person may feel slighted (Steinberg, A., Brooks, J., Remtulla, T. 2003). Hate groups are able to successfully enlist at-risk youth because the ideals they espouse impart a power; a superego if you will. This new feeling of importance and power supplies the personal gratification that was missing in their lives so the individual youth is able to be coerced into submission to the group while giving up any previously held beliefs and values (Steinberg, A., Brooks, J., Remtulla, T. 2003). Targets and victims of hate crimes are mostly from non-white races with young white males committing the majority of the offenses. Racial bias accounts for approximately 60% of the hate crimes committed in the U.S. Religious bias follows at 18%, sexual orientation at 12%, bias against a certain ethnic group or nationality is 10% (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2003). Blacks and Jews are routinely reported in the news as the focus of hate crimes but other groups are also struggling to cope. Bias against Hispanics and Asians/Pacific Islanders is on the rise as well. The crimes against Latin Americans are thought to be mainly the result of their immigration status. Since 2001, Middle Eastern and Arab individuals have been targeted with threats, violence, and verbal abuse. The Jewish community has suffered more than any other religion in regard to hate crimes with 82% of the assaults directed against a Jew. Many of the crimes involve property damage and vandalism and the Jews are more likely than all the other groups to go to the authorities and file a report (Steinberg, A., Brooks, J., Remtulla, T.). Maybe the most prevalent type of hate crime in general is gender-based or crimes against women. Among young adults and teenagers, the crime most prevalent and acceptable is that targeting sexual minorities. One study of two thousand gay and lesbians saw approximately 20% of the women and 25% of the men reported being a victim of a hate crime from the time of their sixteenth birthday. They may also be more damaged psychologically because the attack exacerbates the wounds to an already weak personal identity (Steinberg, A., Brooks, J., Remtulla, T.). The causes and effects of hate crimes are varied. Homophobia is the major cause of hate crimes against LGBT individuals. It has been institutionalized by society by jokes, movies, marriage bans for same sex couples and other forms of discrimination (Colson, N., 2008). A perpetrator of a hate crime may see their offence as a positive act that builds up the offender’s love of the group that they belong to. This is especially true for those that suffered emotional neglect during childhood. Another cause may be the punishment for a hate crime. The punishment makes the person even more hateful to the person or group they initially attacked. Some hate crimes are committed as defensive acts because the offender sees someone or a group moving in on their territory whether that territory is perceived to be jobs or the neighborhood. Other crimes are retaliatory such as the recent case of Trayvon Martin. After his death, retaliatory hate crimes were recorded against white individuals with the offenders remarking that it was for Trayvon. Other crimes are committed by thrill seekers whose desire for excitement moves them to commit the crime. Finally, some individuals and groups like the KKK, La Raza, or the Black Panthers are so committed to bigotry that they make a career of hating others (What Motivates Hate Offenders). The effects of hate crimes are differ for different types of people. A majority of the victims do not receive physical harm but do suffer from emotional distress. Some of the emotional reactions are anger, mostly directed at the perpetrator, and then fear. Over half of the victims in one study reported that they feared for their family’s safety while another large percentage was saddened by the experience (Barnes, A., Ephross, P.). Behavioral changes as coping responses to the attacks have been reported in as many as one-third of hate crime victims. These victims alter their behavior in an attempt to avoid being victimized again in the future. Moving to a new location, decreasing social activities, buying weapons, and buying home security protection are all behavior changes that affect their lives, careers, and family members. Avoidance behavioral coping is one effect of hate crimes and retaliation is another (Barnes, A., Ephross, P.). What can be done to reduce hate crimes is already being done through education starting in elementary school. Bullying is now being addressed to the point of being ridiculous. Stricter punishments are not working and they have not been seen to deter hate crimes; rather they can escalate the crimes. Corporations and government agencies use their Human Resource departments to inform all employees of a no tolerance policy to bias against any individual or group because of the usual things like religion, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc. Hate crimes, as said in the beginning of this essay, only became part of our vocabulary in the 1980’s. I don’t believe we should have any crimes specifically labeled as a hate crime since a crime is a crime is a crime. We have laws to punish offenders for whatever they do. After all, what is more egregious, Bernie Madoff ruining the lives of countless people who now have no means of retirement or someone assaulting a black or homosexual? Where is the greater hurt to society?

References:
Barnes, A., Ephross, P., May 1994, The impact of hate violence on victims, http://www.socialworkers.org/pressroom/events/911/barnes.asp
Bureau of Justice Assistance, May 2003, A policymaker’s guide to hate crimes, USDOJ, https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/162304.pdf

Colson, N., June 2008, The causes of hate crime, http://socialistworker.org/2008/06/12/causes-of-a-hate-crime

Hate Crime, n.d., retrieved 13 May 2012 from, http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hate+crime

Macionis, J. J. (2010). Sociology: A Global Introduction (Thirteenth addition). Prentice Hall. Retrieved 12 May, 2012, from https://mycampus.aiu-nline.com/controls/eBookFileServer

Steinberg, A., Brooks, J., Remtulla, T., May 2003, Youth hate crimes, http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=176221

What Motivates Hate Offenders, n.d., National Institute of Justice, http://www.nij.gov/nij/topics/crime/hate-crime/motivation.htm