Pros and Cons of Hate Crime Laws Hate crime laws are defined as a state law 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. The 1968 statute made it a crime to use, or threaten to use, force to willfully interfere with any person because of race, color, religion, or national origin and because the person is participating in a federally protected activity, such as public education, employment, jury service, travel, or the enjoyment of public accommodations, or helping another person to do so. However, in 2009, Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. This made it easier to prosecute criminals while also adding in gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
There is much debate on whether hate crime laws are a necessity or not. Some arguments against hate crime laws include the fact that
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Hate crimes do not say they only protect black people, or transgender people. They protect every sexuality. It would not just protect homosexuals or bisexuals, it would also protect heterosexuals. If a crime was committed against a heterosexual, because they were heterosexual, then the hate crime laws would apply to them as well. We are not saying one group of people is more important than another. We are saying that committing a crime against a stranger due to their way of life, and no other reason is worse than committing a crime out of anger or out of disagreement.
In conclusion, there are pros and cons of hate crime laws, however in reality they are a necessity in our criminal justice system. They are equally beneficial to minorities as well as the majority. they equally protect everyone. Hate crimes create a message to the public that these groups of people do matter, and they are protected by