NCJ Number
117557
Date Published
1987
Length
73 pages
Annotation
The California Attorney General's Commission on Racial, Ethnic, Religious, and Minority Violence established a task force to identify the incidence of hate violence aimed at minority groups in the State and to implement Commission recommendations to reduce such violence.
Abstract
The Commission determined that hate violence persists in California and that a central system for collecting and reporting hate crime data is essential. The enactment of a comprehensive civil rights statute with criminal penalties is needed to effectively deter hate crimes, and California needs to establish human relations centers in every county charged with responding to and preventing hate violence. Victims of hate violence need immediate access to practical assistance and support services, the development of comprehensive criminal justice policies for dealing with hate crimes is imperative, and police officers and district attorneys need training in how to respond to and prevent hate crimes. Public awareness of hate violence must be increased, and schools need to install in students a tolerance for diversity. Comprehensive efforts to minimize or eliminate violence against elderly and disabled persons are also necessary. Significant actions of the task force to implement Commission recommendations are outlined. Appendixes provide additional information on the task force and on hate crimes legislation in California.