NCJ Number
149215
Journal
Stanford Law and Policy Review Dated: (Spring 1994) Pages: 1-27
Date Published
1994
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Comparing gender to other categories that are typically listed when discrimination is an issue, this paper analyzes the general characteristics of bias-related crimes and whether gender-motivated crimes have these characteristics.
Abstract
Bias crimes are characterized by a generally high level of violence, the terroristic impact they inflict on victims and their communities, offenders' motivation by a desire for power and domination over their victims and the groups to which the victims belong, random victimization by strangers, heightened psychological trauma to the victims, serial nature of the attacks, and a particularly invidious effect on the community. Although gender-motivated crimes of violence do not exactly match this pattern, they demonstrate a substantial theoretical fit. Therefore, gender-motivated deprivations of civil rights should be recognized as bias offenses and punished accordingly. Figures and 145 reference notes