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Social Construction of a Hate Crime Epidemic

NCJ Number
167959
Journal
Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology Volume: 86 Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1996) Pages: 366-391
Author(s)
J B Jacobs; J S Henry
Date Published
1996
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This article attempts to deconstruct the claim that the United States is experiencing a hate crime epidemic.
Abstract
Drawing on the "social construction of reality" perspective, the article attempts to show how the idea of a hate crime epidemic has come to prevail, by: (1) examining the hate crime epidemic hypothesis and identifying its proponents, including advocacy groups, the media, academics and politicians; (2) examining the hate crime data collection efforts of the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center's Klanwatch Project and the FBI; figures from these groups are widely used to confirm the existence of the hate crime epidemic; (3) demonstrating the political and subjective nature of counting hate crimes; and (4) offering some contrarian observations on the status of hate crimes. Collecting hate crime statistics raises unique problems, including: defining hate crime, establishing a reliable means for determining when a perpetrator's bias should transform an ordinary crime into a hate crime and deciding which prejudices are relevant to counting hate crimes. The article expresses doubt that the picture of a hate crime epidemic depicts reality. Perhaps what is new is greater intolerance of prejudice. Notes