States with hate crime laws do have more hate crimes reported, according to a new study by the Center for Research on Inclusion & Social Policy at the Indiana University Public Policy Institute. The study says Indiana could go deeper than just passing a bias crimes bill and also require data collection.
Professor Breanca Merritt said the findings are that bias crimes likely happen more often than are reported, and that having a component that requires prosecutors or police to report whether or not a crime is likely a hate crime, could help determine how well and how often those crimes are prosecuted.
