The motivation of a hate crime starts from a bias or prejudice. To be considered a hate crime, the act must be criminal not merely an expression of an intolerant opinion. Hostility or prejudice is directed towards a person due to his: disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation and transgender identity. Hate crimes are so varied from committing arson, fire bombing, harassment, harassment by phone, physical assault, destruction of property,  cross burning, criminal trespassing, threats of terrorism, vandalism and stalking.

Hate incidents

Hate incidents are considered as criminal if others suffer and will often escalate to high crimes or caused tension in a community. This is the reason why the police are concerned about these incidents but they can only prosecute when the law is broken.

Hate crimes in Philadelphia:

Hate crimes committed in Pennsylvania often involved the victim's real or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, or ancestry. If you are the object of this type of crime, contact the police immediately and the Police Conflict Prevention and Resolution Unit (CPR). The CPR Unit was established by the Philadelphia Police Department to investigate hate crimes and to assist victims.

  What will happen to the case?

The police conduct an investigation and prepare a report and if possible, arrest the perpetrator. When investigated is complete, the case will be reviewed by the District Attorney's Office that will determine the appropriate charges and prosecute the case. A judge sets the bail for the defendant and prescribes conditions to protect the victim and others. After a preliminary hearing, the case will be assigned to a trial judge.  Trained services coordinators will assist victims at every stage of the proceedings.

Hate crimes are treated by the law differently than other crimes:

Hate crimes are differently treated from other crimes. For example, crimes motivated by bias or hate can effectively be elevated to a more serious crime and given more severe penalty. This is committed against a person or property.

Any person can be a victim of a hate crime as he/she does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted.

Hate crime must be reported:

Hate crimes hurt as they disturb peace of mind being confusing and frightening.

They must be reported as soon as they happened to you; as this will be a service to prevent these incidents from happening to others.  You will also provide legal authorities to evaluate the extent of hate crime in your local area so they can deal with it in the best ways.

Philadelphia updated hate crime law

Philadelphia's city council recently passed a bill updating its hate crime laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

The law was passed after two gay men were attacked Philadelphia last month. The prosecutors failed to file charges against the culprits with hate crime because the state’s law did not cover sexual orientation.

Since Philadelphia is known all over the world as a city that values and honors diversity, measures are mandated to enable authorities to prosecute hate crimes against people not only in Pennsylvania, but also across the country. The people in American must enjoy the right to live openly, honestly, and safely in their community without fear of harassment or violence.

In defense of hate charges

If you are charged with a hate crime in Philadelphia, you are facing extremely serious and have life-altering consequences. A conviction would mean settling stiff fines, serving prison time, having a criminal record, and being subjected to extreme difficulty in finding a job.  Moreover, with the rising news media attention focusing with hate crimes, Philly’s prosecutors are becoming more meticulous than ever before about bringing charges for such offenses. Consequently, it is essential to hire a competent criminal defense law who will help you clear your name and fight to keep you out of jail.