Exploring the Gender Quandary of Bias Crimes: A Content Analysis of Legislative Histories and Media Reports of the Development and Enforcement of Bias Crime Legislation in New Jersey

Although the pervasiveness of violence against women is not a new phenomenon, what is considered an appropriate response to gender-motivated violence remains divisive in both academic literature and in federal and state policies. A relatively new approach is the inclusion of gender within state bias crime legislation. However, despite the controversy surrounding the inclusion of gender in bias crime legislation, little empirical research has been conducted on the topic. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the gender quandary within bias crime legislation by examining one state’s efforts to include gender as a category within its bias crime legislation. Through content analyses of legislative records and media reports, this research examines the process in which the gender category was included within New Jersey’s bias crime legislation, and subsequently, how the category has been framed within the media since the passage of the law. Findings indicate that both the legal climate and the political climate were conducive to the inclusion of gender within New Jersey’s bias crime legislation; however, since the passage of the law, the gender category has not received the same media attention as other forms of bias-motivated crimes. As such, this research informs hate crime policy debates on the state and federal levels, yet more specifically, informs policy-makers and other claims-makers interested in combating gender-motivated violence.

Publisher: Paper presented at the annual meeting of the AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, Georgia, Nov 14, 2007
Year of Publication: 2007