Journal of Social Issues, Volume 58, Number 2, Understanding the Harm of Hate Crime

This book takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine the harms of hate crime and hate speech. Working definitions of hate crime and hate speech are situated within the broader context of intergroup relations, prejudice, aggression, and law and social policy. Theory and research from social psychology, criminology, and legal studies are utilized to describe this context. The multidisciplinary contributions collectively emphasize the origins of hate crime, the harm that it creates, and victims' and society's response to hate crime. They also highlight tensions between the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the US Constitution. Interrelationships among the contributions along with policy implications that arise from analyses are addressed in the issue.