Final English PaperBy Joe MelaHave you ever had a crime committed against you? In todays society we are faced with crime all around us. There are crimes committed out of rage, revenge, jealousy, love, greed, etc; but there is another type of crime, or one could say act of violence, called Hate Crimes. Have you ever thought maybe that crime was committed against just because of your racial background, or religious beliefs? Throughout this countrys history, hate crimes have taken place, either by known groups who hate and, most commonly, individuals that are inspired by hate. Not until recently have the people of this country ever wanted to pass a law that would punish the guilty to an even higher extent because the crime was committed out of hate. There are two sides to every issue. Whether or not the issue is valid or if it is an unrealistic concept created by the media or by the federal government, then, in my opinion, passing a law of this type is totally unrealistic.
It is almost impossible to prove that a crime is committed out of a bias hate. I feel that a law that punishes hate crimes should not be passed. One main question that would be asked is, Prove it? Saying just that, in some cases destroys the effectiveness of the law, especially if and when the crime is committed when both parties share the same sexual, ethnic or religious back- ground. Now, I think that the money grubbing lawyers and the media would love this new law because, for one, the prosecuting lawyers would, in many cases, use it against the defendant, especially if it was a white vs. black case, or vice versa.
The media would emphasize racial discrimination just because the general public, especially minorities, love controversies that may make them sympathetic. Also, I would think that this law would tie up more court time. If you think about it, there would be more cases popping up all over the place and also what ever case is going to be herd the word, hate, would probably be thrown in there as well which would drag the case out even longer. Maybe, not as much in criminal cases, but more so in civil suites.
Look at how sue happy the public is now. This law would only add to it. For example, people sue their neighbors for their pets going to the bathroom on their lawn. How ridiculous is that? Another example is a lady put here dog in the microwave to dry it off. When she returned she had cooked the dog to death. She sued the microwave company because there wasnt a warning saying not to put live animals into the microwave.
People can always argue that there was no bias involved and that they just committed the crime. In many cases that would be hard to do. For instance, do you think that the average Joe committing a robbery at the local deli, that just happened to be owned by people of Asian decent, would think this law would sidetrack him and make him say to himself, I should rob the deli in the next town because their owner is white. Now, nobody knows it, but Joe hates Asians. How can you prove he committed the crime out of hate? Its almost impossible in my opinion.
If this law was passed, do you think people knowing that they would get a higher sentence would say to themselves, no, its just not worth it. Now, for the most serious crimes (obviously including murder), is it reasonable to think adding tougher legislation for hate crimes really means all that much or do you think it would give the victim any satisfaction in knowing that on top of getting murder one, he faces more time in the slammer? Well, it really depends on the individual. (Jacobs 5) I would think that, if someone were going to committee a crime intentionally, they really wouldnt care. Another point is that a large percentage of aggravated assaults and battery are fights that break out at bars and on the streets. The initiation of the crime is not necessarily brought on by .
