SPSSI Hosts Capitol Hill Briefing on Hate Crime

By Shari Miles and Amber Allen

On Wednesday, October 2 SPSSI hosted a congressional briefing, entitled "The Harm of Hate Crime". The briefing, co-sponsored by Congresswomen Diane Watson (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), was held in the U.S. Capitol and brought together congressional staff, researchers, and advocates.

Our mission was to introduce SPSSI to congressional staff and help staff to bridge the gap between science and public policy by presenting the science-based findings in the recent issue of Journal of Social Issues. We wanted to let them know that our scholarly journals also have policy relevance. JSI and ASAP are fact-based resources that they can use to learn more about the causes, consequences, and cures for current social problems. In addition, I wanted to let congressional staff know that SPSSI can help them identify experts to testify at hearings or to advise them about pending legislation.

We convened a distinguished panel of presenters who discussed historical information about hate crime laws, and addressed the reasons people commit hate crimes and how victims of these crimes react. In addition, the panelists discussed possible solutions for combating hate crime and educational and legislative responses to hate crime.

Congresswoman Diane Watson, a former school psychologist, represents a district in Los Angeles, California very close to the area where a rash of hate crimes has been perpetrated recently. Congresswoman Watson noted, "Educating our country, especially our children, about the social and psychological impact of hate crime will help prevent future crimes. It’s discussions like this and groups like SPSSI that will help educate policymakers and the American people about the science behind hate."

Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen acknowledged SPSSI’s work by thanking "members of this distinguished panel for your time and dedication in the search for a viable solution to the atrocities of
hate crime."

The JSI hate crime issue co-editor, Carolyn Turpin-Petrosino, Ph.D., an associate professor of criminal justice at Bridgewater State College, provided background on the genesis of this special issue and an overview of the area of hate crime research, including the lack of congruence between victim, perpetrator, and societal perspectives. She also discussed solutions for combating hate crime. The solutions included developing better school-based curricula, articulating to students the 1st and 14th Amendments so that they can better understand the protections against discrimination, making uniform the hate crime statutes throughout the country, developing partnerships between local governments, utilizing diagnostic tools, federal funding for an international center on hate crime research, and educating law enforcement officials, especially about the special impact hate crime has on the gay and lesbian community.

Brian Levin, J.D., director of the Center on Hate and Extremism, California State University, San Bernardino, provided the historical analysis of hate crime. In summarizing his JSI article, Professor Levin suggested that hate crime has been , and continues to be, a fundamental problem in the United States. After summarizing past legislative initiatives, he concluded that only through the concerted effort of Congress, local governments, and law enforcement officials can we ensure equality in safety for everyone.

Laura Beth Nielsen, J.D., Ph.D., fellow at the American Bar Foundation, presented the results of her research on hate speech, which is also published in the hate crime issue of JSI. Dr. Nielsen reported that hate speech may consist of organized activities, including cross burnings, hate websites, and using derogatory remarks against others. Dr. Nielsen framed her remarks around several questions. What is the frequency of hate speech? How do targets respond? Do members of non-target groups appreciate remarks made against target groups? Her findings suggest that non-targets underestimate the frequency of hate speech experienced by people of color, and that men underestimate the frequency of hate speech against women.

SPSSI member Ed Dunbar, Ph.D. presented his research on bias motivated offenders. Dr. Dunbar, who is also on the faculty at UCLA, suggested that the media image of hate crime perpetrators as teenaged or young adult males is a myth. His research suggests that most offenders are between the ages of 30 and 35 and that they often travel long distances between their homes and the crime scene. He also noted that there has been a dramatic rise in high school-based hate crime and instances of hate crime perpetrated in college dormitories, both of which are underreported.

Phyllis Peres, Ph.D., associate dean of the college of undergraduate studies at University of Maryland at College Park discussed her university’s response to hate crime. Dr. Peres remarked that most of the hate incidents on her campus were directed toward GLBT students. She discussed curriculum development activities, in particular the Terrapin Reading Society. The Society is an undergraduate studies initiative, which provides opportunities for students, faculty and staff to participate in a shared reading experience. This year the Society is reading The Laramie Project, a play based on more than two hundred interviews following the murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard. This play was selected to engage the campus in a discussion on issues of diversity, tolerance, intolerance, community and healing. Dr Peres also collected the names and addresses of audience members and sent to each a complementary copy of the play.

The last briefing presenter was Michael Lieberman, J.D., Washington Counsel & director of the Civil Rights and Policy Center for the Anti-Defamation League. Mr. Lieberman, who is also the chair of the local hate crime task force, brought the discussion back to the policy arena. He praised SPSSI and the JSI hate crime issue, saying how useful it is to him in his work. He talked about H.R. 1343, Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2001, which is a bill introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). Congressman Conyers is the ranking minority member on the House Judiciary Committee. Unlikely to pass in this Congress, this bill is significant because it would expand current law to include "…the incidence of violence motivated by the actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, or disability of the victim…" You can read the text of this bill and the text of other hate crime legislation introduced in the 107th Congress by visiting http://thomas.loc.gov. Mr. Lieberman also discussed the usefulness of a report on hate crime statistics published by the Department of Justice. You can download Hate Crime: The Violence of Intolerance (2001) by visiting the DoJ publications website at http://www.justice.gov/crs/pubs/hatecrm.pdf. Finally, Mr. Lieberman discussed solutions that could make a difference, including making victim assistance programs a priority, linking science and pubic policy recommendations on hate crime, and providing more education about hate crime significance.