NCJ Number
247244
Date Published
April 2012
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This annual report presents data on hate crimes in Tennessee during 2011.
Abstract
This annual report by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation provides data on hate crimes in the State during 2011. Highlights of the report's findings include the following: in 2011, 261 offenses were reported as bias motivated in the State; the number of reported hate crimes increased almost 51 percent between 2010 and 2011; almost 37 percent of hate crimes were racially motivated; the most frequently reported bias motivated offense was destruction/damage/vandalism; males were victimized 5.5 times more often than females; during 2011, 64 percent of all weapons used in bias motivated crimes were categorized as personal weapons, i.e., hands, feet, or teeth; and approximately 58 percent of victims knew their offenders. This study examined the number of hate crimes reported to Tennessee law enforcement agencies during 2011. In order for a crime to be considered a hate crime, the offender must be motivated by bias motivation to commit the criminal act. Six categories are used to characterize bias motivated crimes: anti-racial, anti-religious, anti-ethnicity/national origin, anti-disability, anti-sexual, and non-specific. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation collects data on hate crimes that includes criminal offenses committed against persons, property, and society that are motivated in whole or in part by the offender's bias against one of the six bias categories. Tables and figures