General Treatment Strategy: Hate Crimes

1. General Treatment Strategy: Hate Crimes Amanda H. Reyna J. Meghan N.

2. I. Statement of Problem • What: Hate is to feel intense dislike or strong aversion towards someone or something. A hate crime is a criminal act motivated by feelings of animosity towards a specific person or group based on gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, disability, etc. Hate crimes are primarily about sending messages for they are not just an assault against an individual but against everyone in the individual’s group.

3. I. Statement of Problem (Con’t) • Who: Society as a whole is affected by hate crimes. Those who have fallen victim to prejudice and those who perpetrate the actions suffer the greatest consequences. 70% of all hate crimes are committed by juveniles in their late teens and 20s. In 2005: Race: 54.7% Religion: 17.1% Sexual Orientation: 14.2% Ethnicity: 13.2% Disability: 0.7%

4. I. Statement of Problem (Con’t) • Where: Hate crimes are committed everywhere, they are not narrowed down to a specific person or place, but they have their beginnings within families and school institutions. Glorification of violence and biased values are subliminally learned by children from examples by family members, peers, or figures of authority. Schools have especially become the incubators for prejudice and biased outlooks.

5. I. Statement of Problem (Con’t) • When: Hate crimes occur everyday in the United States. Based on 75% of the population, in the years: 1995: 7,947 crimes reported 2000: 8,063 crimes reported 2005: 7,160 crimes reported • Since not all hate crimes are reported, these numbers represent a small fraction of their actual presence in society.

6. I. Statement of Problem (Con’t) • Why: Perpetrators of hate crimes often suffer from low self-esteem and use their self-doubts to attack others as a way of gaining esteem. Other perpetrators fall into the narcissistic category, where they view their victim(s) as a threat to their ego and positive self-image. Many perpetrators commit hate crimes as a way of sending messages to society about their resistance to diversity and change.

7. I. Statement of Problem (Con’t) • How: Society becomes less unified as more and more hate crimes occur. In a Los Angeles study, results showed that nearly 2/3 of all hate crimes are not reported due to lack of trust in the law enforcement and judicial system. This distrust is based on the victim’s fear of retaliation, few consequences for the perpetrator, lack of evidence in hate-based crimes, and biased views on the part of the judicial system towards the victim’s group. Hate crimes create tension between people of varying groups and backgrounds, developing a stratified system. People define each other based on various statuses and use hate crimes as a way to justify their acts.

8. II. Statement of the Solution • Ideally, society would be completely free of all hate-based crime. People would be universally equal regardless of their individual and group statuses. Since this state is highly impossible, the solution calls for a dramatic decrease in crime rates based on hate. All young people in general are provided with adequate, unbiased knowledge leading to improved relations between various groups.

9. III. Procedure of Treatment • Unbiased teaching is incorporated in the early years of all schools, public and private. This can be accomplished by incorporating multi-cultural classes and activities during K-12. Also, reducing average class sizes to no more than 30 students to allow maximum student-teacher exchange. • Sensitivity training and mandatory meetings are required along with on-the-job training in all workplaces.

10. III. Procedure of Treatment (Con’t) • Programs advocating hate crime prevention are made available to the public through counseling centers, as well as support groups for victims of hate crimes. These programs would stress the importance of reporting hate crimes to the proper authorities. • Stiffer penalties are initiated for perpetrators of hate crimes, enforcing large fines, extended jail terms, probation, and community service. The money received from the fines will go towards funding the programs and classes incorporated in the schools and workplaces. • Raise additional funding for the programs through sin taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, gambling, etc.

11. IV. Parent Conceptual Themes • Brooks, Jane. Remtulla, Tariq. Steinberg, Annie. Youth hate crimes: Identification, prevention, and intervention. The American Journal of Psychiatry. Washington: May 2003. Vol. 160, Iss. 5; pg. 979, 11 pgs. (Identified hate crimes as a crime motivated by the offender’s bias against the victim’s race, religion, sexuality, etc. Also discussed ways of prevention and intervention through creating programs of outreach to schools and communities.)

12. IV. Parent Conceptual Themes • Klemm, Jana. Strobl, Rainer. Wortz, Stefanie. PREVENTING HATE CRIMES: Experiences from Two East-German Towns. The British Journal of Criminology 45. No. 5 634-46 S. 2005. (Experimented in-depth with hate crime prevention methods in two East-German towns by implementing festivals and activities promoting humanity. Results showed crime rates were reduced in both towns, but notably better in the town with the social democratic party.)

13. IV. Parent Conceptual Themes • Wellman, Christopher Heath. A Defense of Stiffer Penalties for Hate Crimes. Hypatia 21. No. 2 62-80. Spr. 2006. (Defined hate crimes as an offense where the criminal selects the victim in part because of an animosity towards members of the group to which the victim belongs. Discussed different sociological theories examining the damaging effects of hate crimes and the stiffer punishments that should be enforced to help prevent them.)

14. V. Range of Application • The treatment applies to all students grades K-12 and all those employed in the workforce. It also applies to anyone in society willing to participate in the prevention and support programs offered by counseling centers. • The treatment excludes those who attend schools and workplaces that choose not to incorporate the classes, training, and programs into their schedules. It also excludes people within society who do not want to participate based on their values and morals, or who just don’t care.

15. VI. Auxiliary Assumptions • Programs could be a complete failure with unenthusiastic attitudes, low participation, and revolts against the stiffer penalties. • Families may disagree entirely with the intended outcomes of the programs, classes, and training. Schools and workplaces that choose to incorporate these programs could see lower attendance rates due to personal conflicts with the proposed programs. • Taxpayers could refuse to pay the raised sin taxes if they do not agree with or understand the purpose of the prevention programs and training.

16. VII. Evaluation of Success or Failure • The most important factor to evaluate the success or failure of this treatment is the hate crime rates reported by states and cities. This would determine if the treatment has helped in decreasing the overall number of hate crimes being committed. • Another factor would be reports of discrimination and harassment in schools and workplaces determining whether the programs and training have impacted social relations in daily routines.