create a climate of suspicion and fear. They effectively
contribute to deterioration in intergroup relations.
Those who may perceive themselves to be members of
the victim’s social group will fear others who happen to
be members of the offender’s social group, and mem-
bers of the latter may feel anger and guilt leading them
to avoid interaction with those perceived to be members
of the victim’s group. In addition, particularly visible
incidents can potentially trigger subsequent hate crime
offenses, setting off a wave of retaliatory offenses.Profile of Offenders
According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s
Policymaker’s Guide to Hate Crime, hate crime offend-
ers can be categorized according to their motives. In
some cases, offenders perceive themselves to be exact-
ing vigilante justice. These types of offenders blame the
targets of their offenses for what they perceive to be
wrong with the world or their immediate circumstances.
In other cases, offenders perceive their actions to be a
part of a greater mission—one in service of ridding the
world of the social evil that their victim represents. An
additional motive believed to account for some hate
crime offenses involves the excitement and “rush” of
committing the offenses. For these frenetic offenders,
who are referred to as “thrill seekers,” any targeted out-
group will do. In these incidents, willing offenders have
the right set of circumstances, potential victims, and dis-
inhibiting factors present at just the right time.
Although it would be useful to have a more detailed
description of offenders, there is some variability
among those who commit bias crimes. For example, the
Hate Crime Statistics report of 2005 reveals that racial
minorities are represented among racist bias crime
offenders. Nevertheless, representatives from some
local jurisdictions have noted that bias crime offenders
are overwhelmingly young, White, and male.Preventing Bias Crimes
Bias crimes, though extremely problematic, are not
inevitable. When one considers that of the infinitenumber of interactions possible among the 34 million
people living in California, for example, fewer than
2,500 resulted in reports of hate-motivated offenses, it
is clear that bias crime occurrence is actually rare rel-
ative to its nonoccurrence. That said, recent events
reflecting bias and bigotry underscore the importance
of continued attention to this problem. Researchers,
advocates, legislators, and law enforcement personnel
have roles to play in attenuating the problem of bias
crime. The greatest responsibility, however, rests with
the lay public, which is composed of both victims and
offenders. Eliminating bigotry and the problem of bias
crime requires vigilant, continuous, and cross-cutting
efforts, and it involves education, intergroup interac-
tion, and legislation.Kellina M. Craig-HendersonSee also Racial Bias and the Death Penalty; Reporting
Crimes and Victimization; VictimizationFurther Readings
Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith. (1994). Hate crime
laws. A comprehensive guide.New York: Author.
Craig-Henderson, K. M. (2004). A review of the debate over
hate crime legislation: Do hate crime statutes work for the
common good? In R. R. Miller & S. L. Browning (Eds.),
For the common good: A critical examination of law and
social control(pp. 230–236). Durham, NC: Carolina
Academic Press.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2006). Hate crime statistics
2005.Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
Herek, G. M., & Berrill, K. T. (Eds.). (1992). Hate crimes.
Confronting violence against lesbians and gay men.
Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Jacobs, J. B., & Potter, K. (1998). Hate crimes: Criminal law
and identity politics. New York: Oxford University Press.
Levin, J., & McDevitt, J. (2002). Hate crimes revisited.
America’s war on those who are different. Boulder, CO:
Westview Press.
Wang, L.-I. (2003). Hate crimes law. St. Paul, MN:
Thomson/West.50 ———Bias CrimeB-Cutler (Encyc)-45463.qxd 11/18/2007 12:41 PM Page 50