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Defending the Indefensible

A Critique and Analysis of Psycholegal Defense Arguments of Hate Crime Perpetrators

University of California, Los Angeles

Hate crimes are a recently defined special class of violence or threat of violence to a person, property, and/or community. These crimes include a prominent symbolic component that affects a class of victimized parties, and provides an understanding of the motives of the perpetrator. Given the critical importance of intent in committing a hate crime, it is not surprising that defense attorneys have sought out counterarguments based on psychological theory to limit the perpetrator's culpability and achieve leniency. These defense strategies are considered in terms of their veracity vis-à-vis available behavioral research. The implications of these defense strategies are considered in terms of how psychological research may be employed in prosecution and pre-sentencing decision making concerning perpetrator placement.

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