Politicians, activists, celebrities and senior police officers appear united in their highlighting of
apparent surges in hate crimes in recent years. But this report by the Director of the Statistics and
Policy Research Programme at Civitas, Richard Norrie, offers a critical appraisal of the ideas behind
what we call 'hate crime' as well as the evidence for it. While crime motivated by hatred is to be
condemned, he argues, 'we have ushered in a response to it that is corrosive'.
It is argued in this report that we have entered into a new way of doing law, that sees thought as
something to be punished where it leads to crime. Hate crime legislation which could be traced back
to legal attempts to penalise the incitement to violence now stands for the punishment of offensive
ideas - as well as introducing inequality before the law.
The author questions the interpretation of police statistics which have tended to fuel media stories
of a rising tide of hatred. The government has often made it a priority to tackle hate crime - funding
many organisations that have a vested interest in talking the problem up - despite also
acknowledging it to be declining.
This report finds that this approach has led to the police prioritising crimes which are relatively trivial
and may not even be crimes at all. The outcome in our resulting public discourse is that we are
fuelling a story about our country that is not true, serves to do us down, and lowers expectations.
Most damming of all, 'getting the numbers up', the author finds, has not resulted in a rise in
prosecutions or convictions. In the meantime, an honest appraisal of the best available evidence
reveals acts of racial hostility, from violence to verbal abuse, to have declined substantially.
The author concludes that the government should legislate for the enhanced sentencing of crimes
motivated by hatred where it is clearly evidenced that harm and culpability are greater. We need to
reign in the vested interests, as well enhance the way in which we measure hate crime statistically, if
we are to pave the way for a more honest appraisal of hate crime.
- ISBN13 9781912581252
- Publish Date 26 May 2021
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Civitas
- Format Paperback
- Pages 128
- Language English