Violent crimes are difficult to face, even in the best of circumstances. There are some instances in which you might be accused of committing the violent crime as a hate crime. This adds another layer of challenges and complexities to the criminal case.
A hate crime is one that is initiated because of a person’s sexual orientation, race, national origin, religion, ethnicity, gender or another similar status. These crimes are taken very seriously and often come with enhanced penalties for people who are convicted of them.
It is interesting to note that white people are the most likely to be convicted of hate crimes. This demographic is responsible for 48.4 percent of these crimes. Blacks come in second with a responsibility rate of 24.3 percent. This shows a very stark contrast to the composition of people in the criminal justice system. Blacks are incarcerated at a rate that is five times higher than whites.
The reasons for these crimes varies greatly. Some people might not think that they are actually committing a hate crime, but the evidence in the case says otherwise. It could be that you were just trying to impress friends or that you were acting out of anger. Even if you were trying to protect your turf, you could be accused of a hate crime.
People who are charged with hate crimes face a difficult journey. Finding ways that they can fight back against these charges is something that can prove to be challenging. You need to look into all of the possible options so that you can make decisions based on the facts of your case.
Source: FindLaw, “Hate Crime: The Violence of Intolerance,” accessed Nov. 24, 2017
