Racial Bias • Gay Bashing • Religious Intolerance
When an incident is labeled as a hate crime, the prosecutor will be under tremendous public pressure to get a conviction. And that conviction will carry a harsher sentence than if it were a "regular" crime.
You will need a strong and sophisticated defense if you are charged with a hate crime. My name is Francis E. Farren, an experienced criminal law attorney and former prosecutor with more than 24 years of experience in the Delaware criminal justice system. I will fight to protect your rights in the face of public outrage and fight to shield you from a severe punishment.
I have defended clients across the state of Delaware. Call me at 866-603-4647 to schedule a free initial consultation.
Delaware Racial Hate Crimes Lawyer
A hate crime is not a specific offense. But if you are accused of committing a crime out of hatred for a protected group, it notches any criminal charge up one level.
- For example, assault is a class A misdemeanor, but becomes a class G felony if a person is assaulted because he or she is black, or Hispanic, or gay or Muslim.
- If the underlying crime is already a class A or class B felony, the prison term for a conviction is doubled.
The hate crime statute applies to hatred or intolerance as the spark to a crime against another person: their race or color, national origin or ancestry, religion, sexual orientation or disability.The underlying offense could be vandalism, arson, harassment, terroristic threats, assault, murder or any other crime. It also is a hate crime to damage a place of worship or intentionally interfere with the free exercise of the First Amendment rights of a person in a protected class.
Challenging Hate Crime Allegations
As your attorney, I will try to prove that the person's race, ethnicity, religion or sexuality had no bearing on the alleged offense. Convincing the prosecutor to remove the hate crime status alone would be a significant victory. However, the main focus must be the underlying criminal charge. I will fight to disprove that you committed any crime or negotiate with the prosecution for a favorable deal that avoids a long prison term or other harsh penalties.
If you need a Delaware hate crimes attorney, contact me today to discuss your case in a free, confidential in-house consultation.
