A Bias-motivated incident.
or hate incident (UK:''
Non-crime hate incident'') is an act of hostility motivated by
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
, religious intolerance, or other
prejudice
Prejudice can be an affect (psychology), affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived In-group and out-group, social group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classifi ...
. A bias incident is different from a
hate crime
Hate crime (also known as bias crime) in criminal law involves a standard offence (such as an assault, murder) with an added element of bias against a victim (individual or group of individuals) because of their physical appearance or perceived ...
in that it does not necessarily involve criminal activity. Examples include graffiti, verbal abuse, and distribution of
hate group
A hate group is a social group that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, nation, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other designated sector of society.
Acc ...
literature.
On school campuses
Organizations such as the U.S.
Community Relations Service, the
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...
, and the
Anti-Defamation League recommend that school administrators denounce bias incidents on their campuses regardless of whether a crime is committed.
[ Supporters of such policies say that they help maintain an atmosphere of civility in which people feel free to express themselves without fear of retaliation.
A response to a bias incident begins with the victim or a bystander reporting it to the school's administration. After receiving the report, a school official (often a ]campus police
Campus police or university police in the United States and Canada are Police officer, sworn police or peace officers employed by a college or university to protect the private or public property of the campus and surrounding areas and the peo ...
officer) may begin to collect evidence and offer physical and emotional support to the victim. The institution may issue a public statement in order to dispel rumors, calm tensions, and state that bias incidents are not tolerated.[ School leadership may hold an open meeting to discuss the incident. Diversity training events may be included during orientation programs in an effort to prevent bias incidents from happening in the future.
]
Law enforcement
Even if there is no crime to prosecute, some jurisdictions encourage their citizens to report bias incidents to the police. Police officers can provide assistance to the victims, and some police departments are required to keep records of reported bias incidents.
See also
* Documenting Hate
References
{{Reflist
Prejudice and discrimination
School and classroom behaviour