What is the legal definition of a hate crime?

Answer 1

According to the US Legal Definitions website:


A hate crime is usually defined by state law as one that involves threats, harassment, or physical harm and is motivated by prejudice against someone's race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, sexual orientation or physical or mental disability. Laws vary by state and if hate crimes are provided for by statute, the defintions of hate crimes and penalties imposed vary. States that have hate crime statutes provide harsher penalites for such offenses.

The underlying criminal offenses that are designated in hate crime laws include, but are not limited to, crimes against persons like harassment, terroristic threats, assault and crimes against property like criminal trespass, criminal mischief and arson. It may also include Vandalism causing damage to a church, synagogue, cemetery, mortuary, memorial to the dead, school, educational facility, community center, municipal building, courthouse, juvenile detention center, grounds surrounding such places or personal property located within such places.

The current federal law regarding hate crimes deals with crimes where the offender is motivated by bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientatio, or ethnicity/national originn and only applies if the crime happens when a person is attending a public school or is at work or participating in one of four other "federally protected activities."

Answer 2

Hate crimes are crimes committed against people because of who they are or what they represent, rather than a more ordinary crime in which greed, anger or some other powerful emotion was the principle motivation. Hate crime laws are controversial because they seek to punish people for their thoughts as well as their actions. For example, if I threw a brick through your window, I could be arrested and charged with criminal mischief, a misdemeanor in most states. But, if I threw a brick through your window because I didn't like your skin color or religion or ethnicity, according to hate crime legislation, I've committed a more serious crime, although the result, a broken window, is still the same. The only thing that is different is my motivation.

Answer 3

I hate crime is any crime committed for the specific purpose of leading a group of targets, which would include, but not limited to: sex, religion, sexual orientation, disability, an elderly status. In somebody's categories the victim doesn't have to Fall into this category: They can be suspected of being under One or more of those categories for this crime to occur. It should be home noted that a crime is a federal offense if the states do not have their own laws accordingly.

Answer 4

According to United States federal law, hate crimes are crimes that have the added element of bias. For example, if one were to target a particular person because of his race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation, the perpetrator could be charged with a hate crime.