Sen. Marie Pinkney modernized Delaware’s hate crime statute and closed a longstanding loophole that allowed some perpetrators of hate crimes to evade stiffer penalties.
Passed with bipartisan support, Senate Bill 144 made clear that hate crimes include instances motivated by the perpetrator’s belief or perception of a victim’s minority status, regardless of whether that belief is accurate.
The bill also added sex and age as protected categories, established civil remedies for victims of hate crimes and required the Delaware Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust to post the number and nature of hate crimes committed in Delaware on their website at least once a year.
