federal criminal civil rights

Question 1

federal hate crime statute

Answer 1

a hate crime is anordinary crime that is committed with a certain type of intent (basis of race, gender, sexuality, etc.)
- difficult to prove intent
- circumstantial evidence is based on things you did, that in your mind, was because of that intent
- to secure a conviction, must show the defendnet committed the underlying criminal act with requisite intent

Question 2

Church Arson Prevention Act (1996)

Answer 2

crime to deface, damage, destroy religious real property where it affects interstate commerce

Question 3

Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009)

Answer 3

expanding federal definitions of hate crimes to include actual or percieved sexual orientations

Question 4

evidence bias

Answer 4

membership in a group that espouses hatred for other groups

Question 5

ways to prove hate crimes

Answer 5

• posession of literature or symbols associated with bias
• defendant’s writings, chats, etc
• slurs/graffitti at the site of the crime
• date of the crime
• prior hate crimes by the defendant
• membership to hate groups