The Pervasive Effects of Hate Crime Offending

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

Throughout the United States and Europe hate crime continues to distinguish itself as a uniquely injurious and pervasive form of criminal behavior. Indeed evidence of the robustness of hate crime can be observed by examining the divisive effects of the most controversial elections in modern history. After the U.S. election of President Donald Trump, the SPLC and ADL reported spikes in anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and Anti-Semitic hate motivated violence. Similarly, after the Brexit referendum, religious and racially motivated hate crimes are also reported to have spiked (Home Office, 2016). This thematic panel examines the vicarious effects of hate-motivated violence on African Americans after the tragedy in Charleston South Carolina. In addition, the relationship between hate and other types of attitudes and behaviors are explored to understand the larger context that reconciles beliefs and actions. Next, the influence of the political environment on hate crimes is explored by examining the temporal clustering of racially and religiously aggravated events in the wake of Brexit. Finally, the problems associated with estimating hate crime prevalence rates and findings reflecting victim groups least likely to report and reasons why they don’t report are analyzed and discussed.

Sub Unit

• Area V. Types of Offending / 22. Hate Crimes

Division of Special Interest

• Divisions of Special Interest / Division on Terrorism & Bias Crime

Individual Presentations

• African American Responses to Racially Motivated Hate Crime - Voices from South Carolina - Carolyn Petrosino, Bridgewater State University

• Hate Crime and Other Crime: Toward a Nexus of Understanding - Phyllis B. Gerstenfeld, California State University, Stanislaus

• Temporal Clustering of Racially Motivated Crime in the Wake of Brexit: Political Milieu and Crime Motivated by Bias - Sylwia Janina Piatkowska, Old Dominion University

• The Dark Figure of Hate Crime Underreporting - Frank S Pezzella, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Matthew Fetzer, Shippensburg University; Tyler Keller, Shippensburg University

Chair

• Frank S Pezzella, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY

Discussant

• Brian Levin, California State University, San Bernardino