Hate Crime in America : What Do We Know?

The stream of violent incidents in the late 1990s has brought the issue of hate and hate-motivated behavior to the forefront of national concern and debate. Hate crimes, like all crimes, are to a major extent social constructions. As a nation, the U.S. is engaged in a controversial and ongoing legal and social experiment in which the criminal law is being invoked in an effort to combat attitudes and behaviors that have long been a part of our history, but have only recently been labeled "hate crime." This volume in the Series provides expert testimony on several areas of research and data on hate crimes, and includes summaries of recent legislation, a detailed bibliography, and an expert list.