Essays on the Measurement, Reporting, and Classification of Hate Crime in the United States

Book excerpt: analyzed NCVS data from victims of biased-motivated crimes to identify factors influencing officers decisions to classify a crime as a hate crime. Overall, officers tended to be legalistic and organizationally bound in their approach to classifying hate crimes, with victim reporting and available evidence being the most robust predictors of successful classification of hate crimes. This dissertation provides a nuanced picture of hate crime in the United States while also pointing to various sources of its mismeasurement. The final chapter explores implications for future research, policies, and practices for advancing and developing reliable and accurate hate crime statistics in the US. I particularly emphasize identifying critical junctures in successful hate crime reporting as well as other non-carceral solutions.