Using Research to Improve Hate Crime Reporting and Identification

• NCJ Number: 307478
• Journal: Police Chief Magazine Volume: Online Dated: September 2023
• Author(s): Kaitlyn Sill, Ph.D.; Paul A. Haskins, J.D.
• Date Published: September 2023
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: This article originally appeared in Police Chief Magazine and is reposted here with permission from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Abstract

A recent series of evidence-based research initiatives supported by the National Institute of Justice is helping to narrow this critical knowledge gap and illuminate a better path forward. The study findings fill in vital details on causes of hate crime underreporting in various communities, including hate crime victims' reluctance to engage with law enforcement; victims' and law enforcement agencies' inability to recognize certain victimizations as hate crimes; a very large deficit of hate crime reporting by law enforcement agencies of all sizes; and variations in hate crime definitions across jurisdictions. Knowledge gained from the NIJ-supported research on bias victimization and hate crime can strengthen hate crime recognition, reporting, and response.