Application: Hate Crimes

The term “hate crime” is relatively new, having not emerged until the 1980s in journalism and criminal justice discourse. Today, most members of the general public have at least a basic understanding of what this term means and to which types of offenses it refers. A hate crime is commonly defined as “a criminal offense committed against persons, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by an offender’s bias against an individual’s or a group’s perceived race, religion, ethnic/national origin, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation” (Taylor, Fritsch, Leiderbach, & Holt, 2011).

Despite having what seems like a straightforward definition, it is often very difficult to determine whether an offense should be classified as a hate crime. For example, in the Amadou Diallo and Sean Bell cases, police officers acted on assumptions based on race, which is certainly related to bias. But were these cases hate crimes?

For this Assignment, select a case from those presented in this week’s Learning Resources that depicts a crime based on stereotypes and biases of race, ethnicity, and/or sexual orientation. Consider characteristics that should be present to classify the incident as a hate crime.

The Assignment (2–3 pages):

• Identify the case you selected.
• Describe characteristics that must be present for a crime to be considered a hate crime.
• Based on the characteristics you identified, explain whether or not the case you selected might be classified as a hate crime. 
• Justify your response with references to the literature and the Learning Resources.

Two or three pages with at least three references….

It is important that you cover all the topics identified in the assignment. Covering the topic does not mean mentioning the topic BUT presenting an explanation from the readings.

To get maximum points you need to follow the requirements listed for this assignments 1) look at the page limits 2) review and follow APA rules 3) create SUBHEADINGS to identify the key sections you are presenting and 4) Free from typographical and sentence construction errors.

READINGS

• Course Text: Investigating Difference: Human and Cultural Relations in Criminal Justice
  • Chapter 2, “Conceptualizing Difference”
  • Chapter 3, “Privilege and the Construction of Crime”
  • Chapter 5, “Social Class, Crime, and Justice”
  • Chapter 18, “Fairness in the Courts: Investigating and Addressing Race, Ethnic, and Gender Bias”
• Article: Black, P. J., & Kari, C. J. (2010). Policing diverse communities: Do gender and minority status make a difference? Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 8(3), 216–229.
• Article: Herek, G. M. (2009). Hate crimes and stigma-related experiences among sexual minority adults in the United States: Prevalence estimates from a national probability sample. Journal of Interpersonal Violence,24(1), 54–74.
• Article: Lieberman, M. (2010). Hate crime laws: Punishment to fit the crime. Dissent (00123846), 57(3), 81–84.
• Article: Stacey, M., Carbone-López, K., & Rosenfeld, R. (2011). Demographic change and ethnically motivated crime: The impact of immigration on anti-Hispanic hate crime in the United States. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 27(3), 278–298.

• Article: Ellis, L., & Say, L. (2011). Hate crime regulation and challenges. Georgetown Journal of Gender & the Law, 12(3), 367–383.
• Article: Love, E. (2009). Confronting Islamophobia in the United States: Framing civil rights activism among Middle Eastern Americans. Patterns of Prejudice, 43(3/4), 401–425.
• Article: Miller, L. L. (2010). The invisible black victim: How American Federalism perpetuates racial inequality in criminal justice. Law & Society Review, 44, 805–842.
• Article: Saucier, D. A., Brown, T. L., Mitchell, R. C., & Cawman, A. J. (2006). Effects of victims’ characteristics on attitudes toward hate crimes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 890–909.
• Article: Zaykowski, H. (2010). Racial disparities in hate crime reporting. Violence and Victims, 25(3), 378–394.
• Web Article: Strauss, V. (2011). Anti-bullying legislation attacked for allowing bullying. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/anti-bullying-legislation-attacked-for-allowing-bullying/2011/11/05/gIQARflapM_blog.html
• Web Article: Transgender Nation. (1998). GLOV LGBT module handout on transgendered persons for DC Metropolitan Police Department, DC Fire Department, & Emergency Medical Services diversity sensitivity training program. Retrieved from http://www.glaa.org/resources/transinf.shtml