As the webcam-spying trial of Rutgers student Dharun Ravi comes to an end, some people have questioned whether hate crime laws are necessary at all. On the one hand, they dole out harsher punishments for crimes motivated by discrimination and bigotry. On the other, is the same crime worse depending on the identity of the victim? In the Rutgers case, the jury must decide if Ravi’s actions constituted a hate crime or just a tasteless prank. James B. Jacobs is Warren E. Burger professor of law at New York University School of Law and a co-author of “Hate Crime: Criminal Law and Identity Politics.” Hayley Gorenberg is the deputy legal director of Lambda Legal, a civil rights group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!