Hate Crimes

Download or read book Hate Crimes written by David L. Hudson and published by Infobase Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hate crimes are crimes that are motivated by hate or prejudice, whether it is based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender. Many people argue that these crimes should carry extra penalties because, in the words of former Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, 'this conduct is thought to inflict greater individual and societal harm...bias-motivated crimes are more likely to provoke retaliatory crimes, inflict distinct emotional harms on their victims, and incite community unrest'. Opponents of hate-crime laws argue that extra penalties amount to prosecuting people for thought crimes. ""Hate Crimes"" examines both sides of this debate.