USA Hate Laws
Disparate Effect Of Hate-Crime Laws

Those who would impose stiffer sentences on criminals if their offence can be tied to any particular bias often present the picture of some white skinhead or Klansman attacking a minority group member. But recent evidence suggests that offending members of racial minorities are more likely to receive; stiffer sentences under hate crime statutes

• The annual Department of Justice Victimisation Surveys report that in nine cases out of ten interracial violent crime is perpetrated by blacks on whites
• Figures for 1996 show that on a per capita basis, blacks are three times as likely as whites to commit crimes driven by racial prejudice

Those who oppose establishing a special legal category for crimes committed with bias in mind argue that the Constitution bars punishment for ideas — however hateful they may be. They contend that tacking on extra prison time for bias is an affront to the First Amendment.

Source: Dan Seligman, "The Perfect Crime," Forbes, December 15, 1997.