Global Breaking News - Sunday, December 22, 2024

The Fairness of Hate Crime Laws

The trial of the Rutgers student Dharun Ravi, who used a webcam to spy on his roommate Tyler Clementi with another man before Clementi committed suicide, has raised questions about whether Ravi’s actions were a hate crime or simple boorishness. But some have even questioned whether there need to be hate crime laws at all. Do they protect against intimidation and bigotry, or are they unnecessary and unfair?

 증오에 대한 범죄법이 위협과 편견으로부터 도움을 주나요? 아니면 불필요하고 부당한가요?

* Justice Doesn’t Require Vengeance
Racism and homophobia cannot be solved by longer prison sentences.
 
* Why We Need Bias Laws
We cannot outlaw hate, but laws shape attitudes.
 
* Focus on the Crime, Not the Victim
Don't codify the idea that certain kinds of human life have greater value than other kinds.
 
* Weapons Weaken as Target Expands
Once intended to fight hard-core hate mongers, bias crimes now affect mostly mixed-up teenagers.
 
* Hate Crime Laws Deter Violent Crime
Laws must punish the crime, not objectionable beliefs.
 
* Even Nonviolent Crime Needs to Be Fought
Hate should be recognized and opposed in all its forms.