There were 9,691 reported victims of hate crimes across the U.S in 2008, a two percent increase from that of 2007. The FBI released the new hate crime data and statistics of 2008 last month in hopes of creating an ongoing national dialogue about how to stop bias-fueled crimes across the country. With so many hate crimes in this country, it puts into question whether or not our progressive society is really becoming more tolerant.
There has particularly been an increase in bias-motivated crimes on the basis of sexual orientation. Crimes based on religious prejudice have also been on the rise, while crimes based on racial prejudice have slightly declined, yet racial hate crimes still make up more than half of the hate crimes in the country.
While hate crimes in Los Angeles County actually decreased by 4 percent in 2008, the county's hate crimes still reflect national trends. Like the rest of the country, Los Angeles had an increase on gay, lesbian, and transgender attacks.
Some see the FBI's hate crime information as inaccurate. Phyllis Gerstenfeld, a professor in the department of criminal justice at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, says that the FBI's data is misleading because not all local law enforcement agencies are required to keep track of hate crime data. In addition, she says that only a small percentage of hate crimes get reported to the police because some communities have poor relationships with law enforcement or because victims fear retaliation.
"The FBI hate crime data certainly have value, especially in the absence of more accurate methods of tracking hate crimes in the United States," she wrote on JURIST, University of Pittsburgh's law site. "However, small changes like those just reported should not be the primary focus of our inquiries into hate violence. The data are simply too fallible."
If you feel that you've been wrongly convicted of a hate crime, then don't hesitate to call a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer. The consequences for such as crime can be pretty severe, especially with new legislation going into effect that would give harsher consequences to hate crime offenders.
- New Hate Crime Stats (FBI, U.S Federal Government)
- L.A. County Hate Crimes Drop Four Percent (Los Angeles Times)
- Hate Crime: The Violence of Intolerance (FindLaw)
- 2008 Hate Crime Report (L.A County Human Relations Commission)
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