Data Sources:
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hate
Crime Statistics, 2000-2009
Definitions:
- Hate crime: The FBI defines hate crime as crime motivated by racial, religious, disability, sexual orientation, and ethnicity/national origin bias. Crimes are divided into “incidents” and “offenses.” One incident can contain multiple offenses.
- Crimes against persons: The FBI Hate Crime Statistics include the following as hate crimes against persons: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, aggravated assault, simple assault, and intimidation.
- Crimes against property: The FBI Hate Crime Statistics include the following as hate crimes against property: robbery, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and destruction/damage/vandalism.
Explanations and Caveats:
- City, county, and state law enforcement agencies submit hate crime data to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Reporting is not mandatory, and not all jurisdictions submit data. Those that do submit data must submit do so for at least 1 month in the calendar year, but are not required to submit data for 12 months or 4 quarters.
- The determination of bias motivation rests upon investigation at the level of the local jurisdiction. The inherent subjectivity of determining bias motivation increases the difficulty of determining what exactly constitutes a hate crime. Law enforcement must gather sufficient evidence so that a “reasonable and prudent” person could find that an offender’s actions were motivated by a hateful bias.
Update Status:
September 2011 |
