Joelcool7 said:
Yes if the crime is commited the exact same way with the exact same outcome for a different reason. Then it differs based on reason. Motive is what makes one crime worse then another even if both crimes have the same out come and way of execution. Are you saying a bipolar person who is off medication freaks out and kills someone, should be treated the exact same way a man who is fully sane and comes into someones house not intending to kill them trying to rob them something goes wrong and he kills them? Or someone who hates someones race so much that he goes into someones house and butchers them. All three are the same crime but three different motives. Can you hold the off medication mentally ill guy to the same standard as the theif to the same standard as the premeditated hate crime? No you can't. Some things aren't black and white, motive changes things and differentiates between the seriousness of the crime. Another example. A man stays up late playing video games he rolls over on his baby daughter sufficating her in his sleep. Is that the same as a man grabbing his daughter and sufficating her? Their the exact same crime but for different reasons and motives. This is why in Canada and the US you have different murder charges. A man who is mentally unstable is not going to be charged the same way as a stable man. An accidental death is not going to be charged the same way as a murder. A hate crime is not going to be charged the same as a the regular crime. Motives set the crimes apart. |
Those aren't the same crimes.
Hate crime laws are laws that take the same crime and add additional penalties on to it because it is a hate crime.
All of your examples are invalid.
Hate crime laws come into effect after the crime committed has been decided.
As in... someone is walking down the street... they bump into that person accidentally, then stabs them intentionally.
Should they be punished differently because
A) He did it because he was black.
B) He did it because he wanted to
C) He did it because he was angry
We are talking exact same circumstances here... exact same facts of the crime... exact same control of their faculties. There are no accidents or extreme mental problems... just outright adults doing the same crime for different reasons.








