Frequently Asked Questions: Hate Crimes
What is a hate crime?
A hate crime is an unlawful act motivated by bias. The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act — hate crimes legislation pending in Congress — broadens the legal definition. It describes a "hate crime" as a violent act causing death or bodily injury "because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender or disability" of the victim. Current law does not include sexual orientation, gender or disability.
Aren't all crimes hate crimes?
Hate crimes send a threatening message to whole communities. The key difference between hate crimes and other crimes is that the offender is motivated by the victim's personal characteristics.
How often do these crimes occur?
Hate crimes based on sexual orientation make up the third highest category after race and religion.
Evidence indicates that hate crimes are underreported. Yet statistics still show that nearly 75,000 hate crimes have been reported to the FBI since 1991, with 9,730 incidents reported in 2001, the FBI's most recent reporting period. Race-related hate crimes were by far the most common, representing nearly 53.8 percent of all reported cases. Hate crimes based on ethnicity/national origin represented 21.6 percent and those based on religion represented 18.8 percent. Hate crimes against gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans constituted about 14.3 percent of all reported hate crimes, with 1,393 reported in 2001.
Statistics are lower than the actual number of occurrences of hate-motivated violence. View the 2002 FBI hate crimes statistics.
Where do hate crimes usually occur?
According to the FBI in 2000, 29 percent of reported hate crimes occurred in residential properties; 19 percent occurred on highways, roads, alleys or streets; and 10 percent occurred at schools and colleges. The remaining 26 percent occurred in other locations.
For more detailed information, visit HRC's background reports on hate crimes.
For detailed statistics, go to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports page and scroll down to "Hate Crimes Statistics."