NCJ Number
112804
Date Published
1988
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The purpose of H.R. 3193, the Hate Statistics Act, is to require the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to collect and publish statistics on crimes that manifest prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.
Abstract
The collection of systematic data about the incidence of such offenses is useful not only to State, Federal, and local legislators in formulating public policy, but also to law enforcement agencies in determining law enforcement priorities. At present only a few State Governments and community organizations monitor the incidence of hate crimes, so much is unknown about such crimes. The newly redesigned uniform crime report (UCR) program will enable DOJ to implement H.R. 3193 easily by adding an additional item to the data collection instrument that indicates if the offense was a bias crime. While determining if a crime was motivated by prejudice presents some difficulties, several publications provide model procedures for identifying and responding to hate crimes. The proposed legislation has been endorsed by various organizations including the Police Foundation, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Psychological Association, and the American-Jewish Committee. Additional opinions of H.R. 3193 are included.