Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act Signed into Law
Each week, the Higher Education Center showcases recent developments in the field of AOD abuse and violence prevention in higher education that may include new data and resources, upcoming events and programs, funding opportunities, and learning opportunities. To see a listing of previous This Week! features, visit the This Week! archive.
January 8, 2010
The Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA) of 2009 expands the definition of hate crime to include assault on people based on sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity, in addition to race, religion, and national origin. With the new law, the Jeanne Clery Act was amended to include mandatory reporting of hate crimes that occurred during any of the following crimes: larceny-theft, simple assault, intimidation, destruction/damage/vandalism of property. This is in addition to the previously required reporting of hate crimes. Provisions of the HCPA will allow the Department of Justice to award grants to states and local communities to prevent hate crimes committed by juveniles.
More information can be viewed at http://www.hrc.org/laws_and_elections/5660.htm.