WASHINGTON, June 18 (UPI) -- An estimated 148,400 U.S. hate crimes were reported in 2009, a drop from 239,400 in 2003, a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics says.
The report, Hate Crime, 2003-2009, by Lynn Langton and Michael Planty, Bureau of Justice Statistics statisticians, says almost 90 percent of hate crimes were perceived to be motivated by racial or ethnic prejudice or both. In 98 percent of the cases, the offender used hate-related language against the victim, the report says.
Violent hate crime accounted for an annual average of 3.1 percent of all violent crime reported. The rate of violent hate crime declined from 0.8 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 2003 to 0.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons in 2009.
The 1990 Hate Crimes Statistics Act defines bias or hate crimes as "crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity." The act was amended in 1994 to include crimes motivated by bias against persons with disabilities and in late 2009 to include crimes based on gender or gender identity. Crimes motivated by gender or gender identity bias were not included in the report.
In 54 percent of hate crimes, the offender was a stranger to the victim, the report says.
