Hate Crimes

Background

• Hate Crime Resources - Facts & Figures from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service
• Hate Crimes Reported in NIBRS, 1997-99 special report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, utilizing data from the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting Program (NIBRS). In addition to summarizing the report, the web site links to a press release, text of the report in PDF, ASCII and Spreadsheet formats.
• Hate Crime Statistics 1995-2000 from the FBI (PDF). Also available at this site are PDF documents, including training guide and guidelines for hate crime data collection.
• Current Status of Federal Hate Crime Awareness and Training Initiatives from the Anti-Defamation League (1999)

Selected Texts

• Attorney General John Ashcroft Pays Tribute to the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 17 January 2002
• Resolution Condemns Discrimination Against Iranian-Americans 23 October 2001
• Senate Passes Measure Decrying Bigotry Against Sikh-Americans 19 October 2001
• Attorney General John Ashcroft Remarks at Muslim/Arab/Sikh Groups Meeting 16 October 2001
• American Muslim Leader Says Islam Cannot Justify Terrorism 12 October 2001
• Muslim American Leader Condemns Terrorism 09 October 2001
• Congressman Submits Resolution Condemning Bigotry Against Sikhs 05 October 2001
• Resolution Condemns Bigotry Against Sikh-Americans 03 October 2001
• U.S. Mobilizes Forces to Combat Post-Terrorism Discrimination 27 September 2001
• Senate Condemns Bigotry Against Muslims, Arab-Americans 27 September 2001
• American Muslim Leader Sees Reduction of Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes 27 September 2001
• Remarks by the President in Meeting with Muslim Community Leaders 26 September 2001
• President Bush Welcomes Sikh Leaders to White House 26 September 2001
• Senator Feingold Urges Support for Resolution Against Bigotry 21 September 2001
• Text of House Resolution 227 Denouncing Bigotry Against Arabs, Muslims, South Asians 18 September 2001
• President Bush's Remarks at Islamic Center of Washington, DC 17 September 2001
• Attorney General Ashcroft and FBI Director Mueller Denounce Attacks Against Arab-Americans 17 September 2001
• Republican and Democratic Lawmakers' Remarks Condemning Bigotry Against Muslims or Arabs 14 September 2001
• U.S. Senate Amendment Condemning Any Acts of Violence or Discrimination Against Any Americans 13 September 2001
• Assistant Attorney General Boyd's Statement Regarding the Treatment of Arab, Muslim Americans or Americans of South Asian Descent 13 September 2001
• Statement of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 12 September 2001

Selected Texts Prior to 20 January 2001

• President Clinton's Remarks on Hate Crimes Legislation 13 September 2000
• Memorandum for the Attorney General: Improving Hate Crimes Reporting 13 September 2000
• White House Fact Sheet: The Need for Hate Crimes Legislation 19 June 2000
• White House Conference on Hate Crimes 10 November 1997
• President Clinton's Remarks at White House Conference on Hate Crimes 10 November 1997
• President Clinton's Remarks in Discussion at White House Conference on Hate Crimes 10 November 1997
• Radio Address by the President to the Nation on Hate Crimes 7 June 1997

Key Documents

• Federal Protections Against National Origin Discrimination. U.S. Department of Justice, April 2001 (PDF)
• Addressing Hate Crimes: Six Initiatives That Are Enhancing the Efforts of Criminal Justice Practitioners. U.S. Department of Justice, February 2000 (Text) Also, PDF
• Hate Crimes on Campus: The Problem and Efforts to Confront It. U.S. Department of Justice, October 2001 (Text) Also, PDF
• Improving the Quality and Accuracy of Bias Crime Statistics Nationally: An Assessment of the First Ten Years of Bias Crime Data Collection. U.S. Department of Justice, September 2000
• A Policymaker's Guide to Hate Crimes. U.S. Department of Justice, March 1997
• Preventing Youth Hate Crime. U.S. Department of Education, 1998 (Text) Also, PDF
• Promising Practices Against Hate Crimes: Five State and Local Demonstration Projects. U.S. Department of Justice, May 2000 (Text) Also, PDF
• "Protecting Students from Harassment and Hate Crimes: A Guide for Schools", U.S. Department of Education web site, January 1999 (Text) Also, PDF

Law and Courts

• Hate Crimes Laws from the Anti-Defamation League web site. Includes model legislation, legislative action by the Federal and state governments, court decisions, etc. Federal law includes the The Hate Crime Statistics Act; the The Church Arsons Prevention Act; Enhanced Penalty for Hate Crimes (part of the 1994 Crime Control law) and Title 18, section 245 of the US Code, a primary statute used to combat racial and religious bias-motivated violence.
• State Legislative Action from Leadership Conference on Civil Rights web site. (select "hate crimes" from the "related issues" box)
• Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2001, S. 625 (also known as the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, HCPA) was re-introduced in the 107th Congress on 27 March 2001. The House version, H.R. 1343, was introduced on 3 April 2001. The HCPA, originally introduced in the 106th Congress, was revised as the "Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2000" and passed both the House and Senate in 2000, but was killed in conference. The HCPA Would amend 18 USC 245 which prohibits persons from interfering with an individual's Federal right (e.g., voting or employment) by violence or threat of violence due to his or her race, color, religion, or national origin.
• U.S. Supreme Court Ruling (Apprendi v. New Jersey) striking down a New Jersey law on hate crimes, 26 June 2000.
• U.S. Supreme Court Ruling (Wisconsin v. Mitchell) upholding a Wisconsin state penalty-enhancement law for crimes motivated by bias, 11 June 1993.
• U.S. Supreme Court Ruling (R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul) striking down the St. Paul, Minnesota bias-motivated crime ordinance as unconstitutional, 22 June 1992.

Web Sites

• Combating Hate from the Anti-Defamation League web site
• Hate Crimes from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
• Hate Crimes Special Feature from The Washington Post Online
• Hate Crimes: Better Data or Increasing Frequency? background from the Population Reference Bureau
• Hate Crime Resources comprehensive online resource from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service web site
• National Origin Working Group Initiative to Combat Post-Terrorism Discrimination from the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Dept. of Justice
• Southern Poverty Law Center's Research on Hate Groups
• Tolerance.org "Fight hate and promote tolerance", a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center