Hate Crime: Convictions

(asked on 18th May 2018) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of offences involving racial or religious hatred by offence in each of the last three years.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 29th May 2018

Hate crime of any form is unacceptable and this Government is determined to stamp it out. Sentencing guidelines are clear that hostility towards minority groups should be treated as an aggravating factor – which means offenders face higher maximum penalties.

The Home Office published a Hate Crime Action plan in July 2016, setting out plans for further reducing hate crime, increasing reporting and improving support for victims.

We have some of the toughest laws in the world in this area, but sentencing is a matter for independent judges based on the facts of each case.

Centrally held information only records offences which are defined in statue as involving racial or religious hatred and this can be accessed via the below link.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017.

Please note some other offences can involve a racial or religiously motivated element. This detailed information may be held on the court records but not reported centrally to the MoJ. To identify all offences with a racial or religiously motivated element would incur disproportionate costs.

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