NCJ Number
232741
Date Published
2010
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Based on a small-scale British study by the authors that examined individual decisionmaking by hate-crime victims as to whether or not to report their victimization to police, as well as an examination of policy trends on hate-crime reporting in Great Britain, this chapter offers recommendations on this issue.
Abstract
Although the authors' research findings cannot be generalized beyond the study site, it did allow them to test and consider some of the assumptions implicit in policy developments associated with hate-crime reporting, specifically the policy goal of full reporting. They recommend that the current emphasis on full reporting of hate crime be revised to reflect a more realistic goal. Keeping hate crime as a policing priority should be maintained, so that it becomes clear that persons and groups covered under hate-crime law believe that the police will respond appropriately and professionally to such crimes. Unless hate-crime victims believe that the police are serious about enforcing hate-crime law, they are not likely to report their victimization to police. Efforts to increase crime reporting among vulnerable groups covered by hate-crime law should focus on support for police efforts to engage these communities in discussions of hate-crime prevention and intervention. Perhaps the most effective way to build trust in the police among communities vulnerable to hate crimes is to enlist hate-crime victims and their families in efforts to publicize how the police response to their victimization has been helpful and effective. The authors' research found that a previous negative encounter with the police that involved police disinterest or failing to take any action was a powerful disincentive to report such crimes in the future. Police agency efforts to improve the police response to hate crimes and publicize successful case outcomes could do much to increase hate-crime reporting. 1 table, 1 figure, 11 notes, and 26 references