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 survivors of hate crimes showed significantly more signs of psychological distress including depression, stress, and anger, than did lesbian and gay survivors of comparable non-bias motivated crimes. Nearly 2,300 gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals from the greater Sacramento, California area participated in the research sample. The research included roughly equal numbers of men and women, with a median age of thirty-four years. Research participants completed an extensive questionnaire that included items about their experiences with crime, their attitudes and beliefs about a wide variety of topics, their community involvement, and their psychological well - being. Much of the distress that Dr. Herek observed among hate crime survivors may have resulted from a heightened sense of personal danger and vulnerability that becomes associated with their identity as a gay man or lesbian. Previous research has shown that all crime victims are likely to feel more vulnerable after their experience and to perceive the world as more dangerous, unpredictable, and hostile. The present data suggest that hate crime victims, in addition, often link this sense of vulnerability and powerlessness to their gay or lesbian identity. This association can be psychologically harmful because sexual orientation is such an important part of the self-concept. In addition, it is reasonable to expect that victims of hate crimes based on race, ethnicity, religion, or another comparable characteristic may also experience heightened psychological distress because the incident represents a serious attack on a fundamental aspect of the victim's personal identity. The effects that hate crime victims experience are due solely on the fact that each status (race, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) is associated with different kinds of life experiences for the individual and historical experiences for the affected community. Hate crimes based on sexual orientation appear to have more serious psychological effects on lesbians and gay men than do other crimes.
Political Science
The hate crimes described above in a sociological and psychological aspect shocked the nation and created a public uproar that forced lawmakers to create a federal legislation to combat these socio-emotional problems. Since the 1980s, the problem of hate crimes has attracted increasing research attention, especially from criminologists and law enforcement personnel who have focused primarily on documenting the prevalence of the problem and formulating criminal justice responses to it. Lawmakers put together the Hate Crime Prevention Act (HCPA), to subdue the problem. The HCPA was introduced in 1997 after the White House conference on hate crimes. This act makes hate a federal crime, allowing the federal government to have jurisdiction to investigate crimes that are not fully developed or ignored at the local level. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act strengthens existing federal crime laws in two ways. First, under the current law, 18 U.S.C. Sec. 245, the government must prove both that the crime occurred because of a persons’ membership in a designated group and because (not simply while) the victim was engaged in certain specified federally-protected activities such as, serving on a jury or attending public school. The HCPA would eliminate these overly restrictive obstacles to federal involvement, which have prevented government from involvement in many cases in which individuals kill or injure others because of racial or religious bias. The HCPA would amend this statue in two ways. The HCPA would encourage federal involvement by allowing prosecution without having to prove that the victim was performing a federally protected activity. The Hate Crime Prevention Act would also give authority to federal officials to investigate and prosecute cases that happened because of bias against a victims’ gender, sexual orientation, race, or disability. Amending the section of 245 of Title 18 U.S.C. makes a national statement that hate crime is not acceptable and will not be tolerated in the United States. In the words of ex President Bill Clinton, "All Americans deserve protection from hate. Nothing is more important to our country's future than our standing together against intolerance, prejudice and violent bigotry. Congress can give power to such shared values by passing the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. In so doing, all Americans can be more safe and secure."
A public opinion poll by the Gallup Organization Inc. showed that seventy percent of Americans favor harsher penalties for crimes motivated by the hatred of certain groups. Lawmakers have passed legislation to encourage data collection and attach enhanced penalties to hate crimes at both state and federal levels. President Bill Clinton sponsored a White House Conference on Hate Crimes in 1997, at which he announced numerous initiatives, including his support for expanded coverage of hate crimes in federal legislation. In order for the federal government to take stand against hate crimes in the United States, the Hate Crime Prevention Act is a must. Changes in hate crime legislation, whether viewed favorably or negatively are simmering. With the passing of the Hate Crime Prevention Act, legislation and the federal government gives itself the right to investigate and prosecute hate crimes. The HCPA is the only way to guarantee equal treatment for all.
Conclusion
In the words of ex Vice President Al Gore, “We must send a clear and strong message to all who would commit crimes of hate: it is wrong, it is illegal, and we will catch you and punish you to the force of our laws.” A crime is a crime, no matter what motivated the incident. All crimes should be punished accordingly and with the same degree whether the crime was committed because of gender, race, sexual orientation, or any other bias. Any crime committed against another human being is a hate crime. People know this is persistent and serious and causes socio-emotional affects on human beings. These violent crimes happen in communities, schools, and work places. No area is immune.
The Socio-Emotional Effects of Hate crimes in Communities and on Human Beings
Kelsey Brodie
Kelly Champion M.S.
Social Stratification and Inequality
December 12, 2005
Tarleton State University
Works Cited
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Herek, G. M., Gillis, J. R., Cogan, J. C., & Glunt, E. K. Hate crime victimization among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults: Prevalence, psychological correlates, and methodological issues. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 12. (1997): 195-215.
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