Hate and Bias Crime

The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports
that 8,049 hate crime incidents were reported
to law enforcement agencies nationwide in
1997.  The 8,049 incidents involved 9,861
separate offenses, 10,255 victims, and 8,474
known offenders.  (Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(released November 22, 1998).  Crime in the United
States, Uniform Crime Reports, 1997.  Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of Justice.)

Crimes against persons accounted for almost
70 percent of hate crime offenses reported. 
Crimes against property accounted for over
30 percent, while less than one percent were
crimes against society.  (Ibid.)

Of the hate crimes against persons,
intimidation accounted for 55 percent, while
simple assault and aggravated assault
represented 26 percent and 18 percent,
respectively.  (Ibid.)

Of the 8,049 hate crime incidents reported,
4,710 were motivated by racial bias; 1,385
by religious bias; 1,102 by sexual orientation
bias; 836 by ethnicity/national origin bias;
12 by disability bias; and four by multiple
biases. (Ibid.)

In 1997, 67 percent of the 10,255 victims of
hate/bias crimes were victims of crimes
against persons, as opposed to property or
society.  Nearly 6 of every 10 victims were
attacked because of their race, with bias
against blacks counting for 39 percent of the
total.  (Ibid.)

Of those offenses motivated by bias by
ethnicity/national origin, over half of the
incidents were reported as anti-Hispanic. 
(Ibid.)

Of those offense motivated by bias against
religious orientation, over three-fourths were
based upon anti-Jewish bias.  (Ibid.)

Fourteen percent of all victims of hate/bias
crimes were victims of crimes motivated by
bias against sexual orientation; 66 percent of
these were victims of specifically anti-male
homosexual bias, and 17 percent specifically
anti-female homosexual bias.  (Ibid.)

In terms of incidents in 1997, 3,120 were
anti-black, 993 were anti-white, 1,087 were
anti-Jewish, 347 were anti-Asian/Pacific
Islander, 36 were anti-American
Indian/Alaskan native, 760 were anti-gay
men, and 188 were anti-gay women.  (There
were no Hispanic numbers in this year's
report.)  (Ibid.)

Of the known offenders, 63 percent were
white and 19 percent black.  (Ibid.)

Of those victims of gender and anti-lesbian/
gay violence, 62 percent were gay men, 30
percent lesbians, and eight percent were
either gay/lesbian institutions or unknown. 
(Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Characteristics of Hate
Crimes in 1994, Summary of Hate Crime Data Collection. 
Washington, DC:  U.S. Department of Justice.)

The number of arrests for anti-Semitic
crimes reported in 1994 were double those
reported in 1993. Arson and vandalism
represented the anti-Semitic crimes with the
most substantial increase.  (1994 Audit of Anti-
Semitic Incidents. New York: Anti-Defamation League.)

Note:  OVC makes no representation concerning
the accuracy of data from non-Department of
Justice sources.