While the Uniform Crime Report and the National Crime Victimization Survey data both include information about sexual-orientation-based victimization, additional efforts have been made to identify the extent to which persons are victimized due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as the effects this specific type of hate crime has on victims. One of the major sources of information on this type of hate crime victimization is the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP). The NCAVP collects data from a network of some 38 anti-violence organizations that “monitor, respond to, and work to end hate and domestic violence, HIV-related violence, pick-up crimes, rape, sexual assault, and other forms of violence that affect LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer) communities” (as cited by Daigle, 2017). From the data collected, NCAVP found that estimates of anti-LGBTQ hate violence victimization, including homicide, were higher than the UCR hate crime statistics.
Please read more about the National Coalition or Anti-Violence Programs, Link: https://avp.org/ncavp/
Pertaining to reporting hate crimes, why do you think the estimates from the UCR are so different from those of the NCAVP?
States already had laws on the books covering the types of criminal activities covered by new hate crime statutes: murder, assault, intimidation, and destruction of property. Why did we need to pass new federal and state statutes criminalizing these acts? Why were existing laws inadequate?
Are our existing efforts enough? What could be done to better serve and protect the various populations that are targets of hate crimes? (300 words minimum)
