NCJ Number
156528
Journal
School Safety (Fall 1991) Pages: 24-25
Date Published
1991
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article recommends the use of preventive education and law enforcement to counter hate crimes.
Abstract
The Anti-Defamation League, which combats anti-Semitism, defines a bias-related incident as "any act -- threatened, attempted and/or carried out -- which in any way constitutes expression of hostility toward the victim because of race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or ethnicity." Much of the increase in anti-Semitic incidents that occurred during the latter part of the last decade coincided with the increasing presence of neo-Nazi Skinheads in the United States. This group espouses a white-supremacist philosophy expressed in a vicious anti-Jewish and anti-minority hatred. The Anti-Defamation League's most recent nationwide surveys of the Skinhead movement show, however, that the numerous arrests and convictions of neo- Nazi Skinheads in the latter years of the 1980's have deterred the group's propensity for violence. What is needed now are effective means of coping with the specific dangers posed by those who prey on others because they are different. Tough law enforcement is essential. Prosecution of the perpetrators under hate-crime statutes that strengthen the penalties for crimes motivated by bias or bigotry must be encouraged. Perhaps the most important way to prevent hate crimes is to eliminate the motivation for them. Prejudice-reduction programs in the schools can help to prevent hate crimes from occurring in the first place.