Hate Crime Case Study

Hate crime is defined as ‘any criminal offence, which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic.’ This common definition was agreed in 2007 by the police, Crown Prosecution Service, Prison Service (now the National Offender Management Service) and other agencies that make up the criminal justice system. There are five centrally monitored strands of hate crime: race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity. (Home office 2007)

“All crime is wrong, but that which is motivated by hatred of a particular characteristic of the victim is particularly corrosive. The Government and all its partner institutions strive to tackle hate crime matters, not just because of the devastating consequences it can have for victims and their families, but also because it can divide communities”. (Cross government hate crime action plan March 2012)

This case study focuses on “Racism” and its continued prevalence as the most widely recorded hate

crime within England and Wales. (Home office statistics report 2014) One aims to outline the scale and scope of the problem, whilst also identifying interlinking criminological theories such as Resentment theory and Social strain/Anomie Theory amongst others. On concluding, current policies and future reforms would also be highlighted.

Racism is an absolute ideology, because it explains the differences for definitive and in general. Racism is not a modern phenomenon, it has deep historical roots. Racial prejudice was present in the past as it is today. Over the last 400 years, victim and perpetrator characteristics have remained virtually the same.

Section 1: Outline the Scale and Scope of the Problem Identified in Your Case Study Topic in England and Wales

It is generally accepted that everybody has the privilege to carry on with their life, free from the trepidation of assault or ill will due to who they are or what they represent. England today is more assorted than at any time in the past, and the greater part of us grasp this rich blend of distinctive races, societies, convictions, disposition and ways of life. However, this hasn’t always been the case. Historically, diversity hasn’t been well tolerated. “England in the last 50 years has evolved from the pervasive, open racism of the fifties and sixties, to the pernicious sniggering racism of the seventies and eighties, leading up to watershed moments in the nineties” (Jack Straw, former home secretary 1997-2001). Instances of racial prejudice weren’t properly addressed until the terrible racial motivated murder of Stephen Lawrence over 20 years ago. This had a profound and lasting impact on attitudes towards race in Britain. The subsequent “Macpherson inquiry” which acknowledged the various failings within the police and the plague of institutional racism/prejudice, set out 70 recommendations to make amends and this triggered change across the public sector. There seemed to be a general consensus that things were changing, until another brutal racially motivated murder of teenager, Anthony Walker with an ice axe in July 2005. This shocked the nation and discussions/debates about race tensions was thrown into the spotlight of the media. Therefore to comprehend the size of the problem, there are 2 official records, which can be dissected. The first is the number of hate crimes recorded by the police nationwide, the other is the Crime survey for England and Wales (CSEW), which tries to gauge the number of crimes both reported and unreported. Both records are vital for building up a national picture regarding crime trends. Putting hate crime in figures, in 2013/14, there were 44,480 hate crimes recorded by the police, an increase of five per cent compared with 2012/13, of which: 37,484 (84%) were race hate crimes. This reflects the number of cases reported to the police. The increase year on year may not so much mirror an increment in hate crime cases but rather reflects more reports due to various campaigns and awareness schemes. The British crime survey estimated about 278,000 cases on average out of which only 40% was reported to the police. It is therefore clear that racial hate crime is vigorously under-reported. (Home office, 2014)

Appendix 1:

The University of Leicester carried out a “hate crime project” spanning over 2 years to gain better understanding of hate crimes and victimisation.

Their research uncovered new insights into the nature and forms of these acts and impact upon victims. From a survey of 1421 victims, they discovered that those most affected were victims targeted for their race or ethnicity. (26%) were 18-24 year olds. 58% female and 41% male. Also the main ethnicities involved were Black African and Asians (BME Community). 91% suffered verbal abuse, 72% harassment, 42% property crime and 29% victims of violent crime. The report uncovered that 21% of those affected dint report it to the police; highlighting a portion of victims who rather stay silent. Another key fact, Socio-economic status emerged as a recurring theme in relation to motivating and/or contributing to experiences of targeted hostility (The Leicester hate crime project,

2014)

Appendix 2

The chart below reflects data from “hate crime” incidents within the City of Nottingham. “The most recent Hate Crime Partnership report showed that 1247 hate incidents were reported between June 2008 and May 2009” which illustrates an increase of 11% from the previous year. The types of incidents reported in Nottingham are summarised in Figure 1 below.

Appendix 3

The extent of the scale and scope of various “hate crimes” within England and Wales is likely to be bigger than most individuals realise. Victims that stay silent and don't go to the police are a times terrified of repercussions or expect the police won't consider their circumstance important. Despite the fact that these figures give a harsh assessment as to what number of “hate crimes” happen, they can't be considered totally dependable as the dark figure of crime isn't considered. The dark figure reflects to incidents not reported to the police or picked up by the Crime survey for England and Wales.