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2015 SCOLAG (September) Page 195
Book Review
Reviews
Responding to Hate Crime: The case for
connecting policy and research
Neil Chakraborti and Jon Garland (eds)
£66.00, Policy Press, 2014
This collection of essays, contributed by experts working
in the field of hate crime research, highlights the contemporary
challenges facing those engaged in the field, and argues for
better cooperation between academics and practitioners, in
order to attain shared aims.
The book explores the key issues and challenges to an
improved understanding of hate crime victimisation. Although
the essays have a common aim, they vary in the degree of
emphasis given to the various issues involved in the spheres of
policy and practice on the one hand, and academia on the other.
Neil Chakraborti (co-editor), rightly argues that policy which
is not empirically driven or based on academic knowledge is
likely to have limited effectiveness. Given that the relationship
between hate crime scholarship and policy formation is
symbiotic and has rarely been given prominence within the
hate crime literature, this book fosters the debate by bringing
the expertise of leading scholars, practitioners and activists to
argue the case for increasing the connection between policy
and research. The controversial nature of the subject means that,
although the essays vary considerably, their style is polemical.
Some essays, however, are more polemical than others, just as
some are more critical than others.
The book has three main parts, each covering a series of
interconnected themes. In the first part, shared life experiences
and perspectives are recounted by each of the authors to
highlight the evolution of the relationships between policing,
academia and government within the context of hate crime.
For instance, the author of the first essay, Nathan Hall, who
describes himself as an ‘accidental’ hate crime scholar, narrates
his own journey in the field of hate crime research, which,
indirectly, began with the famous ‘campaign for justice’ for a
public inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. He
elaborately demonstrates the best ways to influence and furnish
policy makers with theory and evidence through transfer of
knowledge between scholars and practitioners. Similar
thoughts are offered by Paul Giannasi in the second chapter
but through a practitioner’s perspectives. The other chapters
in this part, by Sylvia Lancaster and Rosie Campbell, are based
on a similar theme whose discussion draws attention to the
lack of consistency and clarity with regard to the
conceptualisation and measurement of ‘hate crime’ and the use
of terminology. These engaging and thought provoking essays
are essential reading for students working on hate crime
research as they help the reader in understanding the different
cultures and expectations of scholars and policy makers in order
to have beneficial collaboration through an integrated study.
Consistent with the book’s overall objective, the essays in
the second part explore in depth the relationship between hate
crime research and hate crime policy in the context of emerging
themes and new challenges. The authors call for more
collaborative engagements among all stakeholders using useful
social models like ‘Layers of influence’, ‘Corporate Social
Responsibility’, ‘Town-and-gown model’ and ‘Everyday
multiculturalism’ to explore the underlying motivations behind
expression of hate. The last two chapters explore including
‘international students’ and ‘women’ as victims under the hate
crime framework. The author of the last chapter, Hannah
Mason-Bish, goes further, urging academics and practitioners
to focus on the complex harms caused to victims of hate crime,
and not simply on victims’ membership of a particular identity
group.
The essays that make up the third part also have a common
theme; they address the complexities of hate-related
victimisation in juxtaposition to the new initiatives in the area
of challenging offending behaviour. Continuing to bridge the
gap, the essays emphasise the importance of developing a
shared understanding amongst academics and policy makers
of the nature of prejudice-motivated crime for the formation of
effective policing responses.
In the first chapter in this part, Barbara Perry and D. Ryan
Dyck share their own experiences in conducting a project
(Courage in the Face of Hate) in Canada, which aimed to create
safe space for victims of hate crime to share their trauma and
experiences. In one example, the authors also highlight the role
of religion in bringing fear of victimisation amongst LGBTQ
population and excluding them from mainstream society.
Similarly, Zoë James argues strongly for a change in
perception of policing agencies while dealing with the concerns
of hate victimisation of Gypsies and Travellers. In doing so she
explores the plight of these people in the context of an
‘accommodation crisis’ and being treated as strangers within
their own country of birth. The author is hopeful that better
cooperation between the two strands of policy making will lead
to broader definitions of hate victimisation which allows
inclusion of culturally defined Gypsies and Travellers.
Importantly, the authors in the penultimate chapter examine
the effectiveness of rehabilitative interventions through victim-
offender mediations over penalty enhancements in
transforming the behaviours of hate crime offenders. Through
a case study approach they illustrate that an understanding of
the harms caused by hate crime can be used in working with
offenders and potential offenders. They then discuss its
application in redemptive interventions techniques like ‘Smile
project’ and ‘Restorative Justice’ for bridging the emotional gap
between victim and offender alongside offender edification. In
the final chapter it is argued that although Restorative Justice
is not a panacea for the prevention of hate crime, it is an
approach which is nonetheless worth pursuing.
This collection is a very interesting read which persuasively
makes the case for connecting policy and research in combating
hate crime.
Sumeet R. Jalgaonkar, PhD candidate, School of Law,
University of Dundee
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