Research methods in criminal justice

Measuring gang-related crime is an example of trying to measure a particular dimension of crime: motive. Other examples are hate crimes, terrorist incidents, and drug-related crimes. Specify conceptual and operational definitions for at least one of these types of crimes.

Hate crimes are by definition crimes predicated on a specific type of intentionality. They may encompass violent actions characteristic of other types of crimes such as assault or vandalism. However, a hate crime is motivated by the victim's race, sexual orientation, gender ethnicity, or other characteristic and is a crime not only because of the violence of the action but also because of the motivation behind the crime. The conceptual definition of a hate crime is that the crime is 'bigger' than a crime merely directed against an individual and has ramifications beyond that of the violence done to the individual -- it is a crime that is, by implication, against an entire group of persons. According to a research report by the APA (American Psychological Association), the operational definition of a hate crime is as follows: "current federal law defines hate crimes as any felony or crime of violence that manifests prejudice based on 'race, color, religion, or national origin'" (18 U.S.C. §245).Hate crimes can be understood as criminal conduct motivated in whole or in part by a negative opinion or attitude toward a group of persons. Hate crimes involve a specific aspect of the victim's identity (e.g., race). Hate crimes are not simply biases, they are dangerous actions motivated by biases (e.g., cross burnings, physical assault)" (the Psychology of hate crimes, 2009, APA).