Book Review: The Measurement of Hate Crimes in America
| Author | Owain Richards |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X211038257 |
| Published date | 01 September 2021 |
| Date | 01 September 2021 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
Book Review
The Police Journal:
Theory, Practice and Principles
2021, Vol. 94(3) 437–439
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/0032258X211038257
journals.sagepub.com/home/pjx
Book Review: The
Measurement of Hate Crimes
in America
Pezzella F. S. and Fetzer M. D. (2020) The Measurement of Hate Crimes in America. New York, NY:
Springer International Publishing AG
Reviewed by: Owain Richards,Metropolitan Police, New Scotland Yard, London, United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Hate Crime in the United States has been rising steadily since 2015, and the COVID 19
pandemic has shone a light on the effect of such crimes on ethnic minorities, with a
particular impact of COVID ‘hate crimes’against Asian Americans in 2020. Yet the level
of under-reporting and lack of effective tracking of hate crime in the United States means
the problem is not fully understood. Indeed, academics and campaign groups have been
calling on the United States Government to improve the quality of data collected, and
implement better systems for measuring hate crime at a national level. Inconsistent
tracking hinders law enforcement’s ability to effectively target resources towards people,
places and behaviours. ‘The Measurement of Hate Crimes in America’, by Professors
Frank Pezella and Matthew Fetzer, provides a critical appraisal of hate crime in the United
States. Specifically, the text highlights problems with data collection methods, incon-
sistent measurements, missing data, and weaknesses in data validity due to inconsistent
methodology. It is difficult to comprehend how the United States can effectively prevent
and detect hate crime with the level of inconsistency highlighted.
Part of the ‘Springer Briefs in Criminology’series, the book contains nine chapters,
providing the reader with a chronology including hate crime conception and legal
framework, data collection and measurement programs, limitations in programs, trends
and victimology. After describing the landscape and critically analysing the available
measurement frameworks the book concludes with a number of recommendations for
policy makers to improve tracking of hate crime. Frank Pezzella is an Associate Profes sor
in the Department of Criminal Justice at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the
Program of Doctoral Studies in Criminal Justice at the Graduate Centre of the City of
University of New York. Frank has authored several research reports on hate crime count
and injury severity. Matthew Fetzer is an Associate Professor in the Department of
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