Individual articles discuss State and local legislation related to hate or bias crime and the Federal laws that require criminal justice agencies to collect data on these crimes. Additional papers examine the reasons underlying the 1986 prediction by a panel of experts that major civil disturbances will occur in 1999, describe the law enforcement response to bias-motivated crimes, and present the results of a 1984 survey of police agencies regarding police policies and training on the subject. Further essays discuss the investigation of hate crimes related to religion, the efforts of the State's Attorney's Office of Cook County (Illinois), the belief systems of right-wing extremist who commit hate crimes, and community involvement and interagency cooperation in the prevention of hate crimes. Other papers focus on racially-motivated crimes, the collection and analysis of data on hate crimes, violence against homosexuals, and State policies. Chapter reference lists and author biographies