The Socio-Emotional Effects of Hate crimes in Communities and on Human Beings

Socio-Emotional Effects of Hate Crimes

Introduction

Hate crimes are criminal actions intended to harm or intimidate people because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or other minority group status. They are also referred to as bias crimes. Hate crimes have existed from the beginning of time, severely affecting communities and people without our knowledge. Since the 1980’s researchers have tried to explain the social and mental effects of hate crimes on human beings as a whole. In order to eliminate these horrific acts of hate the United States needs to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Sociology

A hate crime is a crime that intentionally offends the victim on an emotional level, for the victim is picked out solely for whom he/she is. The purveyors of hate use explosives, arson, weapons, vandalism, physical violence, and verbal threats of violence to instill fear in their victims, leaving them vulnerable to more attacks and feeling helpless, suspicious, and fearful. Others may become more frustrated and angry if they believe the local government and other groups in the community will not protect them. When perpetrators of hate are not prosecuted as criminals and their acts not publicly condemned, their crimes can weaken even those communities with the healthiest race relations. In 1996, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) received reports of 10,706 hate crimes from state and local law enforcement agencies, involving 11,039 victims, and 10,021 known perpetrators. The crimes included twelve murders, ten forcible rapes, 1,444 aggravated assaults, 1,762 simple assaults, and 4,130 acts of intimidation. Among the known perpetrators, sixty-six percent were white, and twenty percent black. One hate crime that brought realization to the American public that hate crimes do exist was the horrific murder of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas. On June Seventh, 1998 James Byrd Jr., a forty-nine year old black man, was chained to the back of a pick-up truck in Jasper, Texas, and dragged along an asphalt road for almost two miles. Parts of his body were strung out along the road and his head was completely severed from his body. His attackers claimed membership in a white supremacist group, Aryan Nation. These violent crimes happen in communities, schools, and work places. Some perpetrators commit hate crimes with their peers as a “thrill” or while under the influence of drugs or alcohol; some as a reaction against a perceived threat; and some who out of resentment over the growing economic power of an engage in scapegoating.

Psychology

On October sixth, 1998 Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Laramie, Wyoming, was tied to a fence and beaten to death with a .357 Magnum. He hung there for nearly eight-teen hours before being discovered. Fortunately, there are survivors of such brutal attacks. In the years between 1993 and 1996, Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D. from The Department of Psychology at the University of California, conducted a study of psychological effects on gay and lesbians. The purpose of the study was to assess the mental health consequences of hate crimes based on sexual orientation. He concluded that lesbian and gay ...