Punishing Hate
About This Book
Bias crimes are a scourge on our society. Is there a more terrifying image in the mind's eye than that of the burning cross? Punishing Hate examines the nature of bias-motivated violence and provides a foundation for understanding bias crimes and their treatment under the U.S. legal system.In this tightly argued book, Frederick Lawrence poses the question: Should bias crimes be punished more harshly than similar crimes that are not motivated by bias? He answers strongly in the affirmative, as do a great many scholars and citizens, but he is the first to provide a solid theoretical grounding for this intuitive agreement, and a detailed model for a bias crimes statute based on the theory. The book also acts as a strong corrective to recent claims that concern about hate crimes is overblown. A former prosecutor, Lawrence argues that the enhanced punishment of bias crimes, with a substantial federal law enforcement role, is not only permitted by doctrines of criminal and constitutional law but also mandated by our societal commitment to equality.Drawing upon a wide variety of sources, from law and criminology, to sociology and social psychology, to today's news, Punishing Hate will have a lasting impact on the contentious debate over treatment of bias crimes in America.
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Table of contents
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction: The Challenges of Punishing Hate
- 1. What Is a Bias Crime?
- 2. How Are Bias Crimes Different?
- 3. Why Are Bias Crimes Worse?
- 4. Who Is Guilty of a Bias Crime?
- 5. Are Bias Crime Laws Constitutional?
- 6. What Is the Federal Role in Prosecuting Bias Crimes?
- 7. Why Punish Hate?
- Appendixes
- Notes
- Bibliographical Essay
- Acknowledgments
- Index