NCJ Number
202123
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 70 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2003 Pages: 36-38,93
Editor(s)
Charles E. Higginbotham
Date Published
August 2003
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses responses and critical elements needed by all components of the criminal justice system in confronting the issue of hate-motivated crimes.
Abstract
The impact and severity of hate crimes is widespread and affects not only individual victims but instills community fear and group intimidation, adding an aggravating feature. Combating hate-motivated crimes requires a proactive, sensitive, and effective response from all components of the criminal justice system, especially law enforcement. This article discusses law enforcement’s leadership role in properly identifying and effectively investigating hate-motivated crimes. How law enforcement responds to hate crimes can have a significant and lasting impact on both victims and whole communities. An effective criminal justice response to hate crime requires a number of critical elements that include, but are not limited to: (1) accurate collection of data based on well-defined and consistent criteria to classify hate-crime activity; (2) a close police-community relationship; (3) proactive monitoring of the presence of hate propaganda and those promoting hate-motivated criminal activity; (4) hate crime training for police, investigators, prosecutors, and judges; (5) vigorous prosecutions resulting in severe and certain penalties, and stronger laws and authority for law enforcement to be used against hate crime and hate propaganda; and (6) establishment of links and cooperation among law enforcement agencies at all levels to share information, training, resources, and expertise in relation to hate crimes.