Hijexx wrote:
Basing sentencing on motive alone seems like a slippery slope to thought crime.
I've been thinking about this. I agree that sentence modifiers aren't a deterrent with respect to crimes of passion rather then profit. However, FineThen did a good job of convincing me that a hate crime, such as a cross burning in someone's yard, is a substantially different thing from an act of vandalism. It has a greater emotional impact on the victims and a greater impact on the community at large. Can these things be reconciled?
Tom makes quite a cogent argument... well said.
