What Are the Consequences of Committing a Hate Crime in Illinois?

 Posted on October 27,2017 in Uncategorized

Over the past few years, hate crimes have been considered one of the biggest issues faced by society and have been a major topic on social media. There are several different forms of hate crimes that can be committed, as many different groups may be targeted. Nevertheless, the act of committing a hate crime is very serious, leading to many unwanted penalties.

Hate Crime Statistics

A hate crime is defined as when a specific demographic is selected as a target for certain types of crimes. The demographics could include people of a different race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion.

In 2011, there were 6,222 hate crime incidents reported, with almost 21 percent of those crimes motivated by sexual orientation. Even though marriage within the LGBT community has been made legal for over two years, the discrimination of community members remains a problem in the present day.

Here are a few more statistics of past hate crimes based on sexual orientation:

• In 2011, a total of 1,572 hate crimes based on sexual orientation were reported;
• 56.7 percent of those hate crimes came from an anti-male homosexual conspiracy;
• 29.6 percent came from a conspiracy that was against the homosexual community;
• 11.1 percent came from an anti-female homosexual conspiracy;
• 1.5 percent came from a conspiracy against the anti-bisexual community; and
• 1.2 percent came from an anti-heterosexual conspiracy.

There is no data after 2011, and the reports reflect only those hate crimes pertaining to sexual orientation.

Consequences of Hate Crimes

If a person commits a hate crime, then he or she will be charged with a Class 4 felony for the first offense. If the same crime is committed a second or subsequent time, then the offender will face a Class 2 felony.

When the person commits a hate crime in a religious institution, a cemetery, an educational facility, a public park, an ethnic community center, or real property, then he or she will be charged with a Class 3 felony. A Class 2 felony will be charged against the person if the crime has been committed a second or subsequent time.

The person committing the crime may also need to pay a fine of up to $1,000, or pay restitution to the group affected by the hate crime. Probation may also be ordered after conviction, or the person committing the hate crime may have to perform no less than 200 hours of community or public service, as long as the service project is established in the county where the hate crime occurred.

Call a Chicago Criminal Defense Lawyer

Nobody wants to spend the rest of their life behind bars for a crime that could easily have been prevented. If you or a loved one has been accused of committing a hate crime, you do not have to fight the legal battle alone.

At the Law Offices of Hal M. Garfinkel LLC, Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney, you know that you will get the best client experience possible, and a great opportunity to win the best case results. To schedule your free initial consultation, please call an experienced Chicago hate crime defense lawyer at 312-629-0669 to get the help you deserve.

Sources:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/documents/072000050k12-7.1.htm

http://www.equalityillinois.us/issue/hate-crimes-violence/