A hate crime is a prejudice-motivated crime in which the perpetrator targets a victim because of their physical appearance or perceived membership of a certain social group. This can include factors such as ethnicity, disability, language, nationality, physical appearance, political views, age, religion, sex, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation. Hate crimes can involve physical assault, homicide, damage to property, bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, or offensive graffiti. The term "hate crime" came into common usage in the United States during the 1980s, but it is often used retrospectively to describe events that occurred prior to that era. Hate crime laws are intended to deter bias-motivated violence and are distinct from laws against hate speech, as they enhance the penalties associated with conduct that is already criminal under other laws
. According to the Department of Justice, a hate crime must include both "hate" and a "crime." The term "hate" in this context means bias against people or groups with specific characteristics that are defined by the law, and the "crime" is often a violent crime, such as assault, murder, arson, vandalism, or threats to commit such crimes
. In simple terms, a hate crime is any criminal act or attempted criminal act directed against a person or persons based on the victim’s actual or perceived race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or gender
