literature Review of Hate Crimes

literature Review of Hate Crimes Abstract Hate crime is a term that was born in the 1980s from journalists and policy advocates who were trying to describe crimes of bias against African Americans, Asians, and Jews. From there, the term hate crime expanded and an act was passed that required the tracking of hate crime statistics. These statistics can often be misleading due to the underreporting of hate crimes and the strict requirements surrounding what constitutes a hate crime. Gender based hate crime is the most prevalent, with African Americans being the largest racial group targeted by hate crime. Trends develop in the amount of hate crimes as seen by the recent upswing in hate crimes against Middle Easterners following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Police have responded to hate crime by changing their policies and creating new units to specifically target hate crime. There have been new laws created regarding hate crimes and an enhancement of their punishment in an effort to combat hate crime. Possible solu tions to try to decrease hate crime focus on the early identification of young adults and juveniles who may be prone to commit these acts and the intervention and education of offenders. There must also be a focus on the tactics of law enforcement officers if hate crime is to be reduced. 3 A Study of Hate Crime To better determine how to respond to and handle hate crime, it helps to understand just what hate crime is. An example of hate crime from Shively and Mulford (2007) is, In December 2000, in Brooklyn, New York, Mohammad Awad punched Chaim Spear while yelling obscenities and anti-Semitic remarks (para. 1). This is a very basic example of what can be a very complex criminal act. Specific statistics on just how many hate crimes are committed can be a bit murky due to reporting methods, but one thing that can be gathered from the statistics is that hate crime is not going away anytime soon. Since hate crime is not going away, the appropriate response to hate crime from police and courts is more important than ever. The response of police and courts should also work towards solving the problem of hate crime. That can mean targeting hate crime in youth offenders and possibly preventing it or changing the tactics of law enforcement officers. When studying any problem, a good place to start is determining the origins of the problem. With that being said, hate crime has most likely been around as long as there have been people with differences in religion, race, or sexual orientation trying to live together. But, as pointed out by Shively and Mulford (2007), The term hate crime was coined in the 1980s by journalists and policy advocates who were attempting to describe a series of incidents directed at African Americans, Asians, and Jews (para. 26). The collection of statistics regarding hate crimes began in 1990. It was at this time that the Hate Crime Statistics Act was passed by Congress. The act as defined by Bartol and Bartol (2011), Known as the Hate Crime Statistics Act, it requires data collection of violent attacks, intimidation, arson, or property damage that are directed at a person or group of persons because of race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity (p. 17). During the 1990s, the act was expanded to i nclude disabilities, both physical and mental, as a tracked bias. The Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act was also passed during the 1990s to lengthen sentences for perpetrators convicted of hate crimes. While studying hate crime it is apparent that there can be trends in hate crime. African Americans usually top the chart in being the target of hate crime, but a trend that started after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 were an increase of hate crimes against people from the Middle East. One of the more surprising finds from Steinberg, Brooks, and Remtulla (2003) was, Gender-based hate crimes, or crimes against women, are perhaps the most prevalent form of hate crime in general, but the most socially acceptable and prevalent type of hate crime among teenagers and young adults is that targeting sexual minorities (para. 28). This find was surprising to read at first, but after reflection, the find makes sense. In many countries, women are still seen as second-class citizens with less rights and privileges than their male counterparts. Among teenagers and young adults, there is still a negative stigma around being homosexual as seen from some of the slang still used. An examp le of this is hearing a group of students describe something they deem to be bad as gay. The impact these hate crimes have on the victims can be overwhelming and lasting. As described by Bune (2004), Sometimes they blame themselves for being victimized, although they are innocent victims. As a consequence of their victimization, victims may isolate themselves from others and possibly develop strong mistrust of other people (para. 10). The impact on the victims makes it very important to get a clear picture on how prevalent hate crime is. But, because of underreporting, it is very hard to have accurate statistics on just how prevalent hate crime is overall. As stated above, two of the problems with statistics regarding hate crimes is determining what constitutes a hate crime and victims not always reporting the crimes against them in fear of either retaliation or shame. According to research from Shively and Mulford, the FBI found 7,163 hate crime incidents with 8,795 victims in a 2005 study. But, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) using victim interviews and including times when the offender either used hateful symbols or language found 191,000 incidents affecting 210,000 victims. As they explain, The disparity in these two estimates stems, in part, from an important difference in the data collected: the FBI counts only crimes that are reported to the police. For the NCVS, BJS collects information from victims, who are asked if they think hate played a role in the crime (para. 8). This is a huge gap in the two numbers and more than likely, the true scope of the problem lies somewhere in between the two numbers. A specific look at s ome of the groups from the research of Steinberg, Brooks, and Remtulla shows, In 1999, there were 7,876 hate crimes reported, of which 4,295 were motivated by racial bias, 1,411 by religious bias, 1,217 by sexual orientation bias, 829 by ethnicity/national origin bias, 19 by disability bias and 5 by multiple bias (para. 24). With over half of reported hate crimes that were reported being motivated by racial bias, it is clear that race is still an issue in the United States. These statistics can help in responding to hate crime by determining where efforts should be focused. Two main entities focused on hate crime right now are police departments and the court system. Police departments have begun to deal with hate crime by altering their policies regarding how hate crimes are handled and by creating units specifically to deal with hate crimes. One of these policy changes according to Bune is, Establish clearly that the department has zero tolerance to any form of hate crime, regardless of apparent seriousness (para. 6). By doing this, the community will begin to understand that hate crime will not be tolerated and as mentioned above, the penalties for hate crimes can be more severe. The units as described by Shively and Mulford, Many jurisdictions have established hate-crime units in their police departments, and some regional task forces are devoted to investigating hate crime (para. 13). These units have the time to focus on hate crimes specifically and implement strategies in dealing with and hopefully eliminating hate crime. The court system has a t ough balancing act regarding hate crimes. There are many acts that are racially motivated, but because of first amendment rights are protected. One example is cross burning. As explained by Harr, Hess, and Orthmann (2012), Without more evidence to prove a hate crime, cross burning is deemed a protected form of speech (p. 151). The court cannot interpret what is meant by the acts involved even if they are implied. Even without that, there is still the positive regarding hate crime legislation and laws. According to Shively and Mulford, The Federal Government and all but one State (Wyoming) have specific hate-crime laws (para. 10). Even though these laws vary in what they encompass or the enhancement of the penalties, having the laws in place is a step in the right direction regarding handling hate crime. After getting an idea about what hate crime is and tactics to try to combat it, there is another question that must be answered. What can be done to get rid of hate crime or at least significantly reduce the number of hate crimes? One idea from Steinberg, Brooks, and Remtulla is, To prevent future hate crimes, law enforcement agencies, state and federal agencies, public interest groups, and schools have been working together to identify and track hate crimes and to mitigate the conditions that foster them (para. 44). It is not surprising that there is a large amount of hate crimes perpetrated by young adults and juveniles. That developmental period lends itself to trying to fit in and struggling with peer pressure. That is why there must be a focus on young adults and juveniles if hate crime is to be decreased. Three ways this can be accomplished is by tracking the crimes that are being committed and identifying the causation behind them, stopping the recruitment of juveniles to hate groups, and using the data from tracking and identifying the causation of hate crime to intervene and educate at risk juveniles and young adults. Another way to try to reduce hate crime is to alter law enforcement tactics. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, such as police leadership ensuring that departmental policies are followed regarding hate crimes and assisting prosecutors in getting convictions of hate crimes by providing accurate information. A major tactic regarding victims as explained by Bune is, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦recognizing the particular fears and distress typically suffered by victims, the potential for reprisal and escalation of violence, and the far-reaching negative consequences of hate crimes on the community, the department will attend to the security and related concerns of the immediate victims and their families (para. 28). There should be a focus on healing and the rights of the victim after a hate crime has taken place. It not only helps the victim a nd their family, but the community as well to see that there is support and that it is okay to report crimes with fear of retaliation. Hate crimes definition has expanded since the 1980s. Even as different groups are added, the importance of focusing on hate crime will not change. Statistics regarding hate crime are very hard to track due to the underreporting of them as well as strict definitions on what the FBI determines to be a hate crime. Over the past few years, police departments and the court system have responded to hate crime by changing their policies, creating new units, and enacting laws centered on hate crime. Some possible solutions to decrease hate crime are to focus on young adults and juveniles and by changing law enforcement tactics regarding hate crime. A final example of hate crime and just how heinous and serious it can be comes from June 1998 in Jasper, Texas. James Byrd, Jr. was a 49-year-old African American man who was walking home from a family party when he was offered a ride home by three known white supremacists. They took him to a remote road and beat him and then dragged him behind th eir truck. The rest of the story as described by Bartol and Bartol, Police found Byrds head, neck, right arm, torso, shoes, a wallet, and other personal items scattered along the route. A mile-long blood trail on the road marked the gruesome scene (p. 18). A scene like the one described is not just another murder. It is the perfect example of the type of hate needed to commit a crime of this magnitude and why there needs to be such a focus on hate crime and its prevention. 9

The Choosing Essay by Liz Lochead

The Choosing Essay Marianne Lavery The poem â€Å"The Choosing† by Liz Lochead deals with problems of growing up and the issue of education through the two central characters, Mary and Liz. This poem is about two young girls called Mary and Liz who grew up together living an ordinary life. They were both intelligent and ambitious. They were best friends for years at primary school until they had the chance to go to secondary school and they went their separate ways to start their new lives. Later on in the poem they meet very unexpectedly on a bus years later. This really does show the reader just how much the two girls have change from primary school. In stanzas 1, 2 and 3 the poet Liz Lochead has emphasized the similarities between the two girls by describing their appearances. They both had the same â€Å"mouse-coloured† hair which suggests they are ordinary. Also they were polite, smart and proud. The poet has used repetition by saying how â€Å"equally proud† they are. This emphasizes the similar attitude the girls had towards their education. Alliteration has also been used. â€Å"Collins’ Children’s Classics†. Stanza 4, describes how their lives took different paths. Mary moved because of cheaper rent somewhere else and Liz stayed where she was, in her hometown where she grew up. Mary’s father had a very bad attitude towards girls’ education and he is also sexist. He didn’t believe in high school education especially for girls or in forking out for uniforms†. Marys family had also financial difficulties according to the poet. The final three stanzas shows that ten years have passed since the two girls went their separate ways but they find their selves sitting in the same bus as each other. However this time as they meet, Mary does not recognise Liz. Mary is sitting next to her husband â€Å"who is tall, curly haired a nd has eyes only for Mary†.

Proper Way to Live by Confucianism and Taoism Essay

Confucianism and Taoism are ideologies that originated from China. These two ideologies have become popular even though different in their various approaches. The analysis of this paper will include introduction of the main ideologies of Confucianism and Taoism, and it is also providing a comparison between the two ideologies. Confucianism It is a word used for the ideologies of Confucius, a scholar that existed at the time of warring states. The keyword of Confucianism generally is the concept of humanism (Ritzer 37). Among the five virtues of Confucianism are Humanism, Righteousness, Principle, Knowledge, and Integrity. Taoism He was a scholar who like the others lived in the period of the warring states, and had a different approach in his ideologies. Tao is the main concept of Taoism, meaning â€Å"way.† It is described as a spontaneous, natural, external way of things, as well as the way they pursue their course (Ritzer38). The argument of many philosophies is that in case people are going to let everything in life to flow in their own way, then everything would definitely work out, like in the starts of his argument in this case it affirms the word â€Å"refrain.† While Confucianism has emphasized more on humans and their capabilities, Taoism has emphasized nature and equality. According to Confucius when an individual has faults, he should not have fear in abandoning them. Confucianism recognizes the need to be strong by shunning away any set back from other people who do not recognize the ability that you possess as portrayed by the statement â€Å"Do not grieve when people fail to recognize your ability, Grieve for your lack of ability† (Ritzer 38). The philosophy talked about not listening or be bothered with what other people think about your ability but always rise-up to the occasion and not grieve. These concepts are what Confucius was using in bringing order and peace to society and he was considered successful in doing so. Based on the facts that his argument on life emphasizes more on the importance of human relations, it is still influential. Confucius has emphasized humbleness, the philosophy describes what a noble mind aspires to â€Å"slow to speak and quick to act,† in the same way the ancient people spoke little. This is similar to Lao Tzu view about life describing life to be with little quarrels in order to avoid quarrelling with other people. Moreover, Confucius view about life is all about loyalty, ready to change whenever wrong, always standing by your words, as well as choosing only the kindred as your friends. Taoism has emphasized humbleness and gratefulness throughout life, â€Å"†¦have little and gain; Have much and be confused.† Taoism also has considered humbleness in life in another perspective affirming need for a person to stand by his own words as a way of being humble. The philosopher describes wise men as setting example to all and in order for that to happen a wise man must always stand by his own word, a character that can be desired and be emulated. Taoism view about life has been considered as perhaps too mystical. It can be criticized to be just an ideology that is trying to escape reality. Moreover, as much as Taoism could give a skeptical view, it failed to provide a realistic solution about life. However, Confucius as a philosophy is more welcomed because it has a deeper sense of life with realistic solution, especially regarding the opinion that other people have about some other people. According to Confucius, people should not just be comfortable with the way they have been described and given title, whether positive or negative. When they talk good about other people, do not just take the complement and remain comfortable, investigate and find out the reason behind being good to them. This is always more serious when they hate you. Since there are many reasons behind somebody holding an opinion about another person, it is indeed important to investigate more why other people have decided to have that opinion, this is because there may be genuine reason behind doing so or may just be a misunderstanding of what was wrongly perceived. According to Confucius just like Taoism in some aspects every individual is required to act with virtue in every social matters, family, community, state, and kingdom, mainly to ensure order and unity. Though these two philosophies may have taken different philosophies, they have in one way or the other succeeded in shaping of the society in terms of their way of life and their approach to life. Realistic or not realistic their ideologies stand to stay and the perceiving mind is what should embrace and accept the reality. Conclusion Following the rise of individualism and freedom, the modern society always forgets their manners and patience. Most of the people tend to be selfish, rude, and having over high esteem about themselves. Just as emphasized by Confucius in his time, people should learn to be calm and respectful in life. Also Taoism has pointed out the need to learn being free, empty our minds, as well as clear our souls. This is because nobody in this world that do not need peace of minds. References Ritzer, George.Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots: The Basics. McGraw-Hill, 2009. 37–38. Print. Source document

The And Educational Welfare Of A Child - 1097 Words

ELC When reflected back upon my internship and all the different activities that encompass the ELCC standards, I was amazed how most assignments can be related to school improvement. I can consider that I believe the class was school and community relations my topic research was Response to Intervention. (RTI) In my current district the graduation rate is around 86% compared to the State of Arkansas at 80% and national average in the mid 70’s. Although my school is very good compared to other schools across the state and the nation, it occurred to me we could still be better. My hope was not just to write a paper and earn a good grade, but to write a paper and try to make a difference in the life and educational†¦show more content†¦Most if not all of these students eventually were placed into a smaller group environment called Alternative Learning Environment. (ALE). What I gathered was these students wasted 3-4 school years to finally make it to a more intensive behavi oral environment that caters to academics as well. My objective was to implement a more intensive RTI program at an earlier age to identify these students and use more intensive classroom interventions to identify the student’s needs. The biggest concern I had working on my research paper and working with administration was the fact if a 9th grader failed at least two classes they carried a 50% more risk to drop out of high school. The principal agreed to implement a RTI committee that the chair person is an administrator and work as a team identifying at risk students at an earlier date. To this day the RTI team is working and identifying students attempting to help the student be successful in the classroom. I can honestly say if it wasn’t for my internship and realizing that a need existed, more than likely I would have not been involved near as much as I am now. My recommendation for school improvement would be for a solid RTI committee to include parents and stude nts into an education contract. This proposal would could possibly achieve many benefits to the stakeholders. 1, the school, student, and parent sign a