Hate Crimes: Definition, offender Profile

Hate Crimes: Definition, Offender Profile

What is a hate crime? Who commits it? Hate crimes are bias-driven crimes whereby the offender targets a person or group because of ethnicity, race, social class, gender, age, religion, nationality or political affiliation. In the recent days in South Africa for example far-right leader and white supremacist Eugene Terreblanche, who has led bias-driven actions against blacks was himself killed to avenge the supposed crimes he has committed against Black South Afrikaans (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8602365.stm).

The deep divisions rooted in racial conflict is still felt in the former colony and such conflict, of perceived or proven wrongs and abuses by Whites against Blacks speak of what many see as 'white privilege' in a nation formerly seen as a Slave Trade post. The Apartheid - the rule of the Whites over the Blacks is seen to be now long gone after the fight of Nelson Mandela but, hate crimes due to race, gender and social class lives on. In the US, hate crimes are also classified as intense motivators to offenders who commit certain crimes which includes assault, property damage, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, plus other offensive acts.

There are varied applicable laws and enacted policies and Acts that prosecute hate crimes. They include the 1964 federal Civil Rights Law, the Violent Crime Control & Law Enforcement Act of 1964, The Matthew Shepard Act of 2009 & varied State Laws (45 States in all have a number of statues except Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, South Carolina & Wyoming. The 2009 Matthew Sheppard Act signed by Pres. Obama further fortified existent policies and laws against hate crime; Since 1964, hate crimes are seen as Federal Offense. Still, in 2007, a total of 7,722 incidents and 9,080 offenses were recorded by law enforcement agencies including assault, property damage, murder and rape. There are some cases