The 57 Bus Lesson Plan

When and why did the law start distinguishing crimes motivated by bigotry? What function does prosecuting high-profile hate crimes help to serve? Which population generally commits hate crimes? Why?

It wasn't until the mid-1980s that the law started to distinguish between the motivations behind criminal acts. Prior, murder was murder, no matter the reason behind it. The idea of and the term hate crime came to be due to the "epidemic" of neo-Nazi and skinhead violence. Hate crimes are vastly underreported and thus infrequently prosecuted. However, the prosecution of a high-profile hate crime does offer a powerful narrative toward fighting prejudice. "A hate crime is...