Only 14% of all state agencies have specially designated personnel assigned to address hate crimes, 33% with special policies or procedures that address hate crimes, and 4% with civilians assigned to units to address hate crimes. That leaves 49% of all state agencies with no special policies or procedures governing hate crimes (NCJRS, 1998). These crimes are not considered to be as prevalent as many other crimes therefore law enforcement agencies don't designate the resources to these crimes that they do for other crimes. Unfortunately, these crimes tend to be more physically and psychologically damaging to the victim. These crimes usually happen at the home of the victim. The offenders are not only attac king the victim, but they are also attacking their homes, the one place that everybody should feel safe. In 1998, 31% of all hate crimes occurred in/on residential property, 20% occurred on highways, roadways, alleys and streets, 9% occurred in schools and colleges, with the remaining incidents widely distributed among various locations (NCJRS, 1998). .
The theory that best explains these crimes, is Sutherland's Differential Association Theory. Sutherland believes that criminal behavior is learned through interaction and communication with others. A person does not become a criminal simply by living in the environment. They learn it through association with others, who participate in criminal behavior. The most powerful influence comes from family and friends. The reason for this is the simple fact that the person will have more contact with these people, and more respect for these people than they might with others. Sutherland believes that people have definitions of the legal code that is either favorable or not favorable (Adler, 1998). Meaning that people with favorable definitions of the legal code believe that laws are important and need to be obeyed, while those who have unfavorable definitions of the legal code believe the laws are unimportant and do not need to be obeyed.