What is the purpose of making things hate crimes?

“Hate crime” is an adjective that is applied to some other kind of crime when it is motivated by racial, cultural, or sectarian hatred. If you murder your neighbor for his money, that's an ordinary crime. If you murder him purely because he's Polynesian or Presbyterian, that's a hate crime. read more

The purpose of calling something a hate crime is to make it clear to people that if you target someone who is part of a specified group, because they are part of that group, your punishment will be more serious. read more

One of the main difficulties of determining the usefulness of hate crime laws is the avoidance of reporting hate crimes to the police. In June 2004, out of the myriad of hate crimes committed, only 20 percent were reported to the local police. read more

A hate crime law is a law intended to deter bias-motivated violence. Hate crime laws are distinct from laws against hate speech: hate crime laws enhance the penalties associated with conduct which is already criminal under other laws, while hate speech laws criminalize a category of speech. Hate speech laws exist in many countries. read more