Not all motives are equal. Some are much worse than others, thus showing that some criminals are wose than others. They can also indicate whether a person can be reeducated or not. The harder it is to rehabilitate a criminal, the more jail time he should do, and be kept out of society. Hate crime laws also send the message that certain attitudes (like racism and homophobia) are terrible and not considered acceptable.

FTR, what do you think if crimes of passion? In those cases the motives help individuals do less time in prison.

Making money isn't as easy as you think (especially if you have no real qualifications), and desperately needing money is more understandable (and certainly not as terrible) as people who think that people who are of a certain race/gender/sexual orientation should die.

And the motives are just a criteria, not the main think that's being prosecuted.

Yea some of the architecture is neat (like DC) but my program generally restricts me to the older buildings like E2, RCH, M2 and CPH. These are the older, dull on the outside, nasty on the inside buildings near south campus hall (besides M2 which is close to SLC).

Yea, my sister lived in Brantford for 5 years and I went there quite a bit. Thanks for "The Great One"!

KW is pretty boring. Besides downtown Waterloo and the pubs, clubs, and other social stuff located around University Street there isn't a whole lot. Doolies down the road from UW is alright for playing pool. Besides that I game for fun .

So even though stricter punishments don't work as a deterrent, we should keep using them because it lets people know that hurting another person is bad and that hurting someone because of race is even worse. You see the flaw in logic here, don't you?

If the person is truly remorseful for their crime and has shown an attempt to rehabilitate or work with the court, I have no problem with a little leniency. That is often the case with crimes of passion. However, if a person shows no remorse for stabbing a victim for the keys to his Mercedes because he thinks he also deserves a Mercedes, what difference is there between him and the neo-Nazi who stabbed a black man in the street and left him to die?

In both cases, victims were targeted for a specific reason but the courts view one as worse than the other. It doesn't make sense. Then again, I'm not a fan of letting the government draw arbitrary lines in the sand.

In that particular case I'd question the sanity of someone who thinks that they "deserve" to have a Mercedes and should kill someone to have it. Most robberies don't involve killing people, as the criminals are only interested in the object they want to steal, not necessarily hurting anybody.

And the courts are right to view a specific reason as being worse than the other, because aome of them are worse than others.

Anyways, regardless, I'm all for criminals getting as much jail time as possible, so I applaud any law that gets them more time in prison.

12 years is a lot, but good thing for sentencing him in jail.

Anyways I live in Canada, and my old place I used to live at, got vandalized, the kitchen was covered with ketchup, mayonnaise etc with the f word .. It was done as a hate crime. We called the police, they came, though they didn't do anything. The funny thing is we found out who it was later before the police, from witnesses though it was a small kid. I know this happened like 6 years or so ago but just stating how if it were done by a 8 year old, no action is taking at all. Not saying they should go to jail, but something like psychological help or whatever it would be. Shortened my story so some things may not make sense to you.

It really isn't.

Do you think the person who was stabbed really care why he was stabbed?  Or the person who was robbed cares why he was robbed?

How many people does someone who robs someone for money have to rob before it's as bad as the racist in your mind?

Was Hitler worse then Stalin because Hitler targeted one race, while Stalin targeted those who he thought were against him.  Even though Stalin killed more people?

All that matters is action.

Also, as for who is a bigger threat.

When the poor guy gets out of jail for robbing someone.  He's still going to be poor.  And it's going to be even harder for him to earn money.

When the racist guy gets out of jail.  He's still going to be racist... but he doesn't HAVE to comit crimes because he isn't poor.

Who is more likely to reoffend again?

The guy who stole something because he needed money and still doesn't have money.

Or the guy who stole something just to punish someone he didn't like and got nothing out of it but a jail term?

Haha yea same here 3 of my classes are in Arts Lecture building and that is a piece of crap. I'm not too farmiliar with the science/engineering/math buildings though.

Haha yeah that's basically all Brantford is known for. Wayne Gretzky and the Telephone. Besides that there's nothing to do in brantford!

Yeah I take it most people just hang out at clubs and parties, that's cool but I don't do it all the time. Yeah doolies is sick too! I've only been there once but its fun. There Cineplex is good too. I gotta find more stuff to do!

Well were talking Canada here. If someone is poor and goes to jail because they are poor and felt the need to rob someone. Well in Canada their are financial aid programs for criminals who can't find work, much like welfare and if the individual proves he is looking for work (Hands out a certain amount of resumes) he is applicable for low income housing.

I myself as a security guard met people on the streets who begged me to get them arrested. Their was one guy who said he had been in jail and he had a roof over his head, three hot meals a day a TV etc...etc... He wanted to go back so badly so he wanted me to get him arrested. Fact is an individual in such a situation where they are poor and want to be arrested or poor and need to steal something for an income. These individuals aren't usually the kind that are going to murder someone.

A thief who accidently murders someone or does not intend to murder someone, who is just out to get some money. Should not be treated the same as a racist who stabs someone in the street out of hatred and in cold blood. Who is more likely to re-offend? Well the thief is more likely to steal again but isn't as likely to kill someone as a racist murderer.

How many times does someone have to rob someone before its as bad as racist in my mind? Well robbing someone is never as bad as a racist attack in my mind. Robbing is done out of nescessity or jealousy where as a racist attack is done out of spite and hatred far worse in my mind then a guy who's just down on his luck.

If I was black, Asian or heck if a black or asian man stabbed me because I was white. Compared to someone stabbing me because they were poor or wanted some money I'd be alot more pissed off at the racist then the guy who wants my money.

A racist crime is worse then a non-racist crime.