Hate and Bias Crime Victimization

In 2002, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) received 7,462 reports of incidents of hate and bias crime involving 8,832 separate offenses, 9,222 victims, and 7,314 known offenders. (Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2003. Crime in the United States, Uniform Crime Reports, 2002. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

Of the 7,462 incidents of hate and bias reported to the FBI, 48.8 percent were of racial bias; 14.8 percent were bias based on ethnicity or nationality; 19.1 percent were bias on religious preference; and 16.7 percent were for sexual orientation. (Ibid.)

Of victims targeted because of race, 67.2 percent were motivated because of an anti-black bias. Of victims targeted because of religion, 65.3 percent were motivated by an anti-Jewish bias. Anti-male homosexual bias accounted for 65 percent of bias motivated by sexual orientation and anti-Hispanic bias accounted for 45 percent of ethnicity-based bias. (Ibid.)

During the first nine weeks after September 11, 2001, over 700 violent incidents occurred against Arabs, Muslims, or those perceived to be Arabs or Muslims. (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. 2002. ADC Fact Sheet: The Condition of Arab-Americans Post 9/11. Washington, DC: American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.)

The majority of perpetrators of hate and bias crime are young – 33 percent of known hate crime offenders are under 18 years of age and 29 percent are between 18 and 24 years old. (Partners Against Hate. 2002. Peer Leadership: Helping Youth Become Change Agents in their Schools and Communities. Washington, DC: Partners Against Hate.)

The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) reported a slight increase in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender hate and bias crime, up from 1,943 in 2001 to 1,968 in 2002. The number of perpetrators was down from 2,951 in 2001 to 2,810 in 2002, and the number of victims rose from 2,189 in 2001 to 2,254 in 2002. (Patton, C. 2003. Anti-Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Violence in 2002. New York. National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.)

NCAVP received reports of 12 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender hate and bias murders; 115 rapes and sexual assaults; 755 assaults; 82 robberies; 142 acts of vandalism; 703 intimidations; and 1327 verbal harassments. (Ibid.)

One in eight students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported that they had been the subjects of hate-related insults at school during the 6 months prior to a 2001 survey. Insults included comments about their race, religion, ethnicity, disability, gender and/or sexual orientation. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2002. Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2002. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

The homeless population is especially vulnerable to victimization. Between 1999 and 2002, 123 homeless people were murdered. (National Coalition for the Homeless. 2003. Hate, Violence, and Death on Main Street USA: A Report on Hate Crimes and Violence Against People Experiencing Homelessness from 1999-2002. Washington, DC. National Coalition for the Homeless.)