Hate Crime Loopholes
February 13th, 2019 by Mike Vasilinda
Jewish lawmakers and the Anti Defamation League say there are gaping holes in the states hate crime laws. They are proposing that crimes against people with disabilities and transgender individuals face tougher sanctions. Rep. Joe Geller says longer sentences for hate crimes may not be a deterrent, but at least they will keep hateful individuals off the streets longer.
“There is some hope that it may have an effect on other members of the public who will see that there can be consequences , but the biggest reason is not deterrence. The biggest reason is to help protect and defend Florida citizens to make sure people who commit this especially heinous acts aren’t going to be back out committing them again too soon” says Geller.
In 2017, Florida reported 145 hate crimes to the FBI. That was a fifty one percent increase over 2016.
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