Submission to the Joint Committee on Justice on the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill 2021

This submission to the Joint Committee on Justice on the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill 2021 has been prepared by Professor Amanda Haynes and Dr Jennifer Schweppe, directors of the European Centre for the Study of Hate which is based at the University of Limerick. It is informed by our research, conducted over the last nine years, on the relationship between minority communities and criminal justice institutions, with a particular emphasis on hate crime. Because our research has primarily focused on hate crime, rather than incitement to hatred and related offences, this submission reflects that expertise, with an emphasis on Part 2 of the General Scheme. We would welcome the opportunity to present to the Committee on our research, and to answer any questions Committee members might have. All published research cited in this submission is available on request.