Hate crime: The unidentified evil, by Sonia Rafeedie.

Abstract

A literature review on recent hate crime issues was conducted. This review included the legal definition of a hate crime, judicial cases, national and local responses to the issue, and approaches to prevent such incidents. An analysis ofhate crime knowledge was conducted among a sample group of students at Youngstown State University (YSU). A questionnaire was distributed to 1,000 students enrolled in introductory level classes at YSu. The questionnaire was designed to collect data on the basic demographics of the sample and their experiences with hate crimes in reference to victimization, commission, and witnessing of hate crimes. The instrument questioned the students on their knowledge of what a hate crime is and the consequences of such crimes. The study focused on the five major motivations behind hate crimes: gender, race/ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and physical disability. These five characteristics are contained in the legal definition of a hate crime. Data was analyzed and tested for statistical significance by race and gender. It appears that hate crimes and the motivations for such acts exist among the participants of the study. The sample group provided their perceptions of discrimination, as well as experiences with hate crimes, on and offthe campus ofYSU. Approximately 66 percent ofthe sample perceived discrimination, of some sort, as a problem on campus. Over half ofthe sample (54.6%) indicated they were victims to a hate crime, while 30.4 percent indicted they had committed a hate crime. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations for further research and education were made to help prevent discrimination and hate crimes from occurring.