A news article out of New Jersey has shown that there has been an increase in the number of hate crimes throughout the state. Hate crimes are one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) highest priorities, which makes an accusation of being part of any hate crime very serious business.
Hate crimes have a significant impact on families and businesses. They are traditional offenses and are typically identified as arson, vandalism or murder with any kind of element of bias. For example, the hate crime could be against African Americans, Muslims, disabled individuals or women.
The New Jersey Bias Incident Report for 2017 to 2018 shows that 52% of crimes against property and another 17% of crimes against individuals in the data from 2017 were anti-Semitic in some way. Between 2017 and 2018, New Jersey saw an increase in hate crimes of 4%, but Jersey City itself saw an increase of a shocking 300%.
What is causing an increase in hate crimes in New Jersey?
According to a news source, it could be the increase of Hasidic Jews in Greenville that has caused the uptick.
What should you do if you’re accused of participating in a hate crime?
A hate crime may be a federal offense, so it’s very important that you have the right defenses in place if you’re accused of committing a hate crime against someone. Even if you committed a crime against another person, you may not have intended a hate crime. The categorization of different criminal acts matters and being dubbed as someone who has committed a hate crime could lead to harsher penalties.
