Identified only two decades ago, violent hate crimes have already become a considerable enduring issue in the United States. According to the FBI, a bias, or hate, crime may be defined as “a criminal offense committed against a person, property, or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnicity/national origin” (Alvarez & Bachman, 2017, p. 239).
In other words, an offender is driven by nothing but hate against particular groups of people, frequently leaves hate symbols, or uses derogatory language. In addition, the police should confirm that a certain committed crime may be referred to as a hate crime. From a personal perspective, the category of hate crimes should exist, as these violations have a specific basis that deserves the particular attention of experts. In the case of hate crimes, hate is not just emotions, such as anger, rage, or dislike – it is a deep psychological disorder that should be properly addressed.
In fact, the government does not disregard the problem of hate crimes, and the situation with hate groups across the country is monitored. In Georgia, 29 hate groups were tracked in 2020, and this number is substantive in comparison with other states (Southern Poverty Law Center, 2021).
The majority of these groups concentrate in or near Atlanta (Southern Poverty Law Center, 2021). In general, the main factors that influence the increase in hate crimes are cultural and social changes, high crime rates, and economic uncertainty or crises. In other words, fear cultivates hostility against particular groups of people, especially if they are seemingly responsible for hard times or always stereotyped in a negative way (Alvarez & Bachman, 2017). In addition, society, school, family, religious organizations, and other elements responsible for socialization may contribute to the formation of hate as well.
References
Alvarez, A., & Bachman, R. (2017). Violence: The enduring problem (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Southern Poverty Law Center. (2021). Hate map. Web.