What solutions can there be for hate crimes?

Question

My friends described hate crimes as.. racism and prejudice. Although, I'm quite uncertain if that's right as well. Does anyone know what the right description for hate crimes are? And how we can stop it?

Answer 1

  Hate crimes are those against a person or persons for reasons of race, gender, religion and sexual orientation.

  The problem of this type of crime today is the enforcement, as it seems like only the white race is charged with these crimes.

  Example is the Jena six, where these kids had no reason of any kind to attack an innocent white person that had absolutely nothing to do with any nooses being hung from a tree, yet the govenment made no charges against anyone, and this type of crime is happening almost daily in this country with no charges.  But burn a cross in your own yard and you're charged.

Answer 2

A hate crime is a crime that is apparently motivated by the perpetrators disdain for a certain group.  Whether the crime be a violent attack on a member of a minority group or against the property of a member.  

Racism and prejudice are not crimes... yet.  Unless you want thought police monitoring what people say and do.  I certainly do not.  Racism and prejudice are ignorant beliefs, which need to be confronted through public discourse, education, and opportunity for all.

I personally do not believe that "hate crimes" merit a more stringent sentence.  A crime is a crime is a crime.  If we start doling out more severe sentences because they are perpetrated against certain members of society, we are affording them higher protection under the law than others.