Phoenix Hate Crime Attorney

Were you arrested for a bias-motivated crime?

Hate crimes are criminal offenses that are motivated by bias or hatred. Bias can turn a regular criminal offense into a hate crime. For example, graffiti as a form of vandalism can change from a simple property crime to a hate crime if a church was vandalized. In 2011, law enforcement statistics nationwide reported 6,222 total incidents of hate crimes and 7,254 total offenses. One of the major complications of this type of crime is proving intent.

It may or may not be difficult to prove that an individual committed a crime, but it can be very complicated to prove that the intent behind the crime was bias or hate. If you have been accused of a hate-motivated crime, get in touch with a Phoenix hate crimes lawyer from Knowles Law Firm, PLC.

Common Types of Hate Crimes

While this is not a comprehensive list of possible hate crime offenses, there are some types of hate crimes that are more common than others. Those are listed below:

Vandalism

Intentionally defacing or impairing the function of the property of another is considered vandalism. Some examples include breaking windows, keying a car or graffiti.

Intimidation/Threatening

This crime is a form of verbal assault. If the victim states that they were under the impression that there was imminent harm as a result of the threatening, then a charge of intimidation can stand.

Assault

Chapter 12 of the Arizona Criminal Code details assault crimes and related offenses such as threatening or intimidating (13-1202) and aggravated assault (13-1204).

Rape

Sexual assault (13-1406 ARS) is "intentionally engaging in sexual intercourse without consent of such person." This is charged as a class 2 felony offense.

Murder

Homicide is defined in 13-1101of the Arizona Revised Statutes. It can be charged as manslaughter, first degree murder or second degree murder.

There are many types of crimes that can be manifestations of hate and bias, but there are also many different types of bias. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported five major types of bias and broke each category down by percentage of crimes committed.

• Racial Bias- Makes up 46.9% of hate crimes
• Disability Bias- Makes up less than 1% of hate crimes
• Ethnicity Bias- Makes up 11.6% of hate crimes
• Religious Bias- Makes up 19.8% of hate crimes
• Sexual Orientation Bias- Makes up 20.8% of hate crimes

According to the FBI, hate crimes are one of their top priorities as far as their civil rights program is concerned. Because of this, you may have to undergo federal investigations if you have been alleged of a hate crime. These are serious forces that you face up against, and they require serious defense.

Put Recognized Phoenix Criminal Lawyers in Your Corner

These allegations are often emotionally charged and can even warrant a high volume of media attention. Because of this, you may be facing social stigma in addition to a criminal charge. If your criminal offense is being charged as a hate crime, then you could be facing serious fines and imprisonment for lengthy periods of time.

Hate crimes can be committed against people or against their property. For example, FBI statistics indicate that 61.1% of hate crimes were committed against people and 38.1% of hate crimes were committed against property.