Again, the actual crime should be punished not the reasoning behind it. "Murder is murder, robbery is robbery, rape is rape, a gang attack is a gang attack, and premeditated murder is premeditated murder", regardless of motive (Staff Editorial 1). For example, Person A and Person B both assault innocent people. But while beating the life out of his victim, Person B calls him a "Nigger." His crime is considered a hate crime. Consequently, his crime will receive harsher punishment. Despite why the crime took place, the point is that a crime took place. No matter why the victim is chosen, "he or she was still harmed, the family is still going to grieve, and someone must be punished" (Staff editorial 1). Whether a person is killed for money or drugs or out of hate or prejudice, the fact still rema

In conclusion, hate crimes should be punished no differently than other crimes. The effects are the same. The crime is basically the same. The family experiences the same trauma and the punishment should be the same.

Thirdly, the whole concept of punishing crimes differently because of motive is senseless, unnecessary, and an injustice. The act of increasing punishment for hate-motivated crimes is focusing on crimes that are already illegal (Reese 1). Thinking about a crime and executing it is already considered a crime in itself. This is called first degree murder. The convict is actually being punished twice, which is unjust. This concept is also unjust because the Constitution says that everyone has the right to a fair trial. Criminals can be prosecuted for multiple charges, but hate should never be one of them. In many cases, the maximum penalty for a crime is death. If the same crime were a hate crime, lawyers would want to increase the punishment. However, the death penalty cannot be worsened. This senseless concepts should have been more thought out. Also, officials are in favor of this type of punishment because it is said to have a deterrent effect. Meaning that, if

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Approximate Word count = 799
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)