Characteristics Of Hate Crime

Anyone could be a victim of a hate crime. People can be victims of hate crime for a characteristic such as gender. A victim of a hate crime may possess a certain characteristic that the perpetrator views in a negative way, which in turn causes them to commit the criminal act against the victim. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) people are more likely to be victimized for their race (Latest Hate Crime Statistics, para 9). No one can change the color of their skin, which is why it is unfair that these people are victims. There are many more characteristics than just someone’s race that could make him or her a target for hate crime. The definition for hate crime is extremely broad, which in turn makes the amount of victims

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) described what motivates offenders and then separated their findings into categories to break down the characteristics of offenders more effectively. The NIJ found that 66% of the offenders were thrill seeking, making this the most common characteristics for hate crime offenders (National Institute of Justice, para 3). The offenders enjoy the thrill and rush of committing a hate crime against someone, and that is what motivates them to do it. Committing hate crimes out of defense was the next most common characteristic found for the offenders (National Institute of Justice, para 3).These offenders are attempting protect themselves or their surroundings from someone they believe is different. Retaliation at 8% was the next characteristic found, which means that the offender reacted to a hate crime whether it happened or did not happen (National Institute of Justice, para 3). The last characteristic found was the offenders who make hate crime their mission, and was found to only be 1% of the offenders studied (National Institute of Justice, para 3). These offenders make it their life goal to commit hate crime and fight against what they perceive as