NCJ Number
127731
Date Published
1986
Length
160 pages
Annotation
The mandate of the California Attorney General's Commission on Racial, Ethnic, Religious, and Minority Violence is to obtain accurate information on the problem, develop guidelines to decrease such violence, and act as liaison to adversely affected minority communities.
Abstract
The Commission is specifically charged to study crime and violence perpetrated against blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, religious groups, lesbians, gay men, elderly persons, and disabled persons. The Commission concludes that hate violence persists in California and that a centralized system for collecting and reporting hate crime data is needed. The enactment of a comprehensive civil rights statute with criminal penalties is necessary to deter hate crimes. California also needs to establish human relations centers in every county charged with responding to and preventing hate violence. Further, victims of hate violence need immediate access to practical assistance and support services. 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 comprehensive criminal justice policies dealing with hate crimes are needed. Recommendations to minimize the impact of hate crimes in California focus on data collection and reporting, legislation, civil rights, victim assistance, law enforcement training, education and awareness, criminal justice policy formulation, and violence against the elderly and disabled. Appendixes contain supplemental information on California's Civil and Penal Codes and on model program responses to hate crimes. 44 references