What are your thoughts on hate crime laws?
Please explain because I don't understand why race, gender, or sexual orientation should even matter in this situation. If you think about it, all crimes are "hate" crimes.
Answers:
They are commonly misunderstood, but they are valid.
Hate crime laws do not (as most people seem to believe) punish someone for what they are thinking.
They make a crime more serious if the criminal mens rea (mental state) of the perpetratror is more severe -- just like premeditated murder is more severe than reckless homicide based on the difference in mental state.
Long version and analysis below.
All crimes are NOT hate crimes. Most criminals steal or mug someone because they want money or goods from them.
A hate crime is one that is committed against a person simply because of his race or his gender or his sexual orientation. That is called intolerance, bigotry and prejudice.
Everyone has the same status in our country and no one has the right to assault someone because they don't like the color of their skin or because of who they chose to go to bed with.
i agree with you. all crimes against other people could be considered hate crimes. a real hate crime is supposed to be based on someones state of mind towards a specific group. the way hate crimes are used in our courts today, it seems if anyone commits a crime against a person of a different race, faith, creed, or whatever are being charged with hate crimes.
I agree w/what BarB said... many, many crimes are motivated by desire for money.
It is important to understand that one of the reasons why the penal system exists is to keep types of people that are harmful to society out of circulation for a while. People who have a destructive attitude towards a certain group are an example of this
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