Prosecutorial perspectives on gender-bias hate crimes.
Increasingly, state and federal hate crime policies include the status category of gender. This study assesses prosecutors' knowledge of gender-bias hate crimes and their willingness to charge violence against women as a hate crime. A grounded theory method used qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of prosecutors from Texas. The study found prosecutors insufficiently informed about gender-bias hate crimes. Prosecutors attribute violence against women to motivations of power and control rather than hate. Prosecutors find hate crime prosecutions problematic, including the use of the category of gender. The findings have implications for the hate crime and antiviolence against women movements.
McPhail
Beverly A
BA
University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work, USA.
Dinitto
Diana M
DM
D000328:Adult; D018585:Battered Women / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003416:Criminal Law / Q000592:standards; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006252:Hate; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011287:Prejudice; D011361:Professional Competence; D012922:Social Change; D012940:Social Problems / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas; D016387:Women's Health; D014933:Women's Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence