Hate Crimes and Youthful Offenders

The basic definition of a hate crime is defined as "crime that violates the victim's civil rights usually by violent means and that is motivated by hostility based on the victim's race, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or gender." In 2007, there were 9,535 victims of hate crimes as reported by law enforcement agencies in the United States. What is disturbing is that over one third of all hate crimes are by offenders under the age of 18 with another 30% between the ages of 18 and 24. In all bias-motivated crimes, 30 percent of all victims were under 18. Why are most of the hate crimes, especially those targeting sexual bias, being committed by young people?

Karen Franklin, PhD, a forensic psychology fellow at Washington University's Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training found that these specific hate crimes based on sexual orientation fell under four distinct motives. According to her research, she found these reasons to be:

1.) Self-defense, where perpetrators interpret the victim's actions as sexual intentions

2.) Ideology, where perpetrators view themselves as enforcers of social norms (that deem homosexuality unacceptable)

3.) Thrill-seeking, where perpetrators commit assaults to alleviate boredom

4.) Peer dynamics, where perpetrators aim to prove their toughness (and heterosexuality).

Although these motives may explain why young offenders commit the crimes, it does not explain why they felt it was reasonable to do so. At the same time, these motivators also cover any type of hate crime and not just those based on sexual orientation such as homosexuality. The same motivators can also cover prejudice against race, religion, creed, national origin, disabilities, and gender bias, depending on age and the context in which an event may occur.

What events occurred in their environment that led these criminal offenders to justify their actions? Since most hate crimes are committed based on the bias, ignorance, or prejudice of the offender, where do these feelings of prejudice originate? Just as it is said that "You are what you eat", it is just as true that "You are a product of your environment". Sometimes, it is necessary to change how your surroundings and others affect the type of person you are. Which is why many researchers and others believe that it is a causal effect of not understanding the differences in people, in traditions, or in cultural values and are then translated into fear and intolerance because of that lack of understanding. These reasons then contribute to acts of violence against a person that may be representative of that prejudice or just look as if they do.

Almost all incidences of prejudice originate in the home. Children learn by example and research has shown that most children between the ages of 5 and 8 years old are beginning to place a personal value on similarities or differences in people. If the parents are prejudiced against a certain group, their children will often express those same prejudices. If the home has a white extremist attitude, the children will most likely adopt the same stance as the parents. The prejudices found in the home can be singular, for example, one race is better than another race; or multiple biases, such as only white Christians are good people, thus leaving the door open to prejudice against people of color and who may practice a different religion. Of course, prejudice may also be taught by what is seen at a relative's home, in school, by the children's peers, in the workplace, public settings, or even in a religious setting.

The best way to combat prejudice is to help people understand that a variety or non-traditional lifestyles are not bad or undesirable just because they may be different from what the person is accustomed to during every day living. Learning tolerance and respect for others will reduce the amount of hate related crimes that occur. Many parents and schools are teaching tolerance and introducing children to different cultures. With the United States having so many different ethnicities, children find that people are the same, regardless of where they may have originated from, be it from another country or just another part of the United States. These children will grow up with an understanding of their world as a whole versus one small area of one country. Understanding the diversity in the world will also generate respect and tolerance for each other as adults.

Sources:

Psychologists call for assault on hate crimes

Hate Crime Statistics - FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program