Hate Crime

‘It spreads like a creeping disease’: experiences of victims of disability hate crimes in austerity Britain

“…Although the word 'hate' was intended to suggest a level of seriousness that should be addressed with some urgency (Mason-Bish 2013) it is generally accepted that much of hate crime is not about hate but about hostility or prejudice, or specifically, criminal behaviour motivated by hostility or prejudice, of which hatred may be one small part (Hall 2013(Hall , 2005. Hall describes 'hate crime' as an act which involves the targeting and victimising of a minority group, or member of a minority group, where prejudice or hatred towards that group was the motive or intent (2013, see also Jacobs and Potter 1998).…”

Policing hate and bridging communities: a qualitative evaluation of relations between LGBT+ people and the police within the North East of England

“…Whether 'hate' is the most appropriate term for these crimes is subject to much discussion and debate. Critics argue that there is a lack of clarity on whether 'hate' accounts for only extreme, emotional hostility or encompasses prejudice, discrimination, and bias also (Hall, 2013). Indeed, some scholars prefer the phrase 'bias crime' (McDevitt, et al, 2001;Perry, 2003a;Rowe, 2004;Stotzer, 2014) in order to symbolise the spectrum of emotions responsible for 'hate'.…”

“…Section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act (2003) empowers courts to increase the sentences of those who are found guilty of committing a hate crime against sexual orientation and transgender identity; operationally called sentence uplifting. There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating that hate crimes hurt more, psychological and emotionally, than non-hate crimes (see inter alia Bachmann and Gooch, 2017;Frost and Meyer, 2009;Hall, 2013;Herek, et al, 1999;McDevitt, et al, 2001;Meyer, 2010;Poteat, et al, 2011;Robinson and Espelage, 2011;Stotzer, 2014) leading Iganski (2001) to argue that sentence increases for hate crimes are justified. Thus, a National Policing Hate Crime Strategy was developed to advise police forces, nationally, on how they can assist in 'reducing the harm caused by hate crime; increasing the trust and confidence in the policing of communities which fear they may be targeted by such crime' (College of Policing, 2014b: 2).…”

The Dark Figure of Disablist Violence

“…Bowling () acknowledges that ‘hate crime is dynamic and in a state of constant movement and change, rather than static and fixed’ (p.238). Generically, hate crime refers to acts committed against someone because of their hatred or prejudice towards the victim (Hall ). As such, ‘disability hate crime’ refers to acts committed against people perceived to be disabled, where prejudice is a motivating factor (Sherry ).…”

“…Importantly, in addition to increasing the opportunities to report disablist violence, policing organisations must also consider the way in which the structural and institutional cultures of policing shape how frontline officers and service staff engage with people with disability (Sin ). As ‘gatekeepers’ of the criminal justice system (Hall ), and 24/7 ‘street‐level psychiatrists’ (Teplin and Pruett ), the responsibility for the proper reporting of disablist violence falls to the police. Asquith () proposes three institutional strategies to improve the reporting environment with regard to hate crime: education and training, specialist policing units, and third‐party reporting.…”