A hate crime is best described as:
- A crime motivated by prejudice.
A hate crime occurs when a criminal act is committed against an individual or group based on their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or other characteristic. The key element that differentiates a hate crime from other crimes is the bias or prejudice that drives the perpetrator to target the victim based on these specific characteristics.
For example, if someone vandalizes a synagogue because of their hatred towards people of the Jewish faith, it would be considered a hate crime. The motivation behind the crime is rooted in prejudice against a particular group, making it a hate crime rather than a random act of vandalism.
