Difficulties in defining hate crime victimization
| Published date | 01 January 2012 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0269758011422473 |
| Author | Jon Garland |
| Date | 01 January 2012 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Difficulties in defining hate
crime victimization
Jon Garland
University of Leicester, UK
Abstract
This article analyses the issues involved with deciding which identity groups are categorized as
specific hate crime victim groups and which are not. It assesses whether theories of hate crime
based around hierarchical notions of group dominance and subordination are helpful in deter-
mining which groups should be included under the hate crime ‘umbrella’. Through a discussion of
the victimization of disabled people, the elderly and the homeless, the article outlines key concepts
– relating to community, risk, harm and vulnerability – that are central to comprehending the
nature of the abuse that they suffer. It also notes the common misreading of ‘low-level’ targeted
harassment as anti-social behaviour, and assesses the impact this has upon the development of a
more in-depth understanding of the circumstances of victims. The article also highlights the prob-
lems with using collective terms like ‘communities’ or ‘groups’ in this context, as such entities can
be very diverse – indeed ‘separate’ groups often intersect with each other. As an alternative, it is
suggested that moving the debate away from collective terminology towards an understanding of
the risk of targeted victimization that individuals face would be helpful when trying to assess
the circumstances of disabled people, the elderly and the homeless, who currently are still at the
margins of the hate debate.
Keywords
anti-social behaviour, risk, targeted harassment, victimization, vulnerability
Introduction
The concept of hate crime, while being well established in the United States for several decades,
has only really gained currency amongst academics and criminal justice practitioners in the United
Kingdom in the last ten years or so. During this time there have been a number of hate crime
legislative initiatives, mainly relating to crimes of inciting hatred against certain communities
Corresponding author:
Jon Garland, Senior Lecturer, Department of Criminology, University of Leicester, The Friars, 154 Upper New Walk,
Leicester LE1 7QA, UK
Email: jgd@le.ac.uk
International Review of Victimology
18(1) 25–37
ªThe Author(s) 2011
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DOI: 10.1177/0269758011422473
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