Reply #57: For several reasons [View All]

One it is a total myth that we don't punish motive. Death penalty statutes elevate crimes to DP status on the basis of motive all the time. After a couple of pizza delivery guys were killed by a person for no apparent reason not having a motive was deemed a DP enhanser. Killing witnesses is a DP enhanser in several states.

Two hate crimes are harder to deter. It is much harder to deter a person who has hatred as a motive then one who has money as a motive. In the second case one simply has to make the percieved cost of doing the crime more than the percieved benefit of doing the crime. Hate doesn't work that way. Thus people who commit hate crimes need to have much stiffer sentences so that future hate crimes won't happen.

Three hate crimes target a whole community and thus do more damage to society than other crimes. As bad as a man getting robbed of his money is, it doesn't make the whole society feel less safe in their daily lives. Conversely that is the whole reason minorities are targetted to make the whole minority feel less safe.