Hate and violence towards the outgroup. Psychosocial analysis of a sample of hate crimes offenders

Abstract

Although there is a growing social and academic interest in understanding why hate crimes are committed, there are very few empirical studies on this crime typology. This study aims to overcome these limitations by examining the characteristics of a sample of hate crimes offenders. To this end, 33 criminals who committed hate crimes were compared with 38 people convicted of other types of crime. The results show that those who committed hate crimes are mostly male, younger than other criminals, and single. In most cases, they lived with their family of origin, lacking a partner relationship or job stability. Finally, compared to the group of common offenders, hate crimes appear to be related to membership in organised gangs. Interventions to reduce recidivism in this type of crime should be based on the specific characteristics of the group.