AREA REVIEW
Assessment of Hate Crime Offenders:
The Role of Bias Intent
in Examining Violence Risk
Edward Dunbar, PhD
Jary Quinones, PhD
Desiree A. Crevecoeur, PhD
ABSTRACT. This study investigated the criminal histories and vio-
lence risk of a sample of 204 hate crime offenders. Record review of the
offender’s criminal history was rated on the HCR-20 and Cormier-Lang
scales. Crime reports were rated for the severity of the bias offense on
the Victim Functional Impact scale and the offender’s targeting of
outgroup victims–i.e., the bias intent. Findings indicated that 56% of the
offenders had prior criminal convictions; HCR-20 ratings were compa-
rable to those found in other offender groups and were correlated with
Edward Dunbar is affiliated with Pacific Psychological Associates. Jary Quinones is a
PhD candidate affiliated with the Los Angeles Police Department. Desiree A. Crevecoeur
is a PhD candidate affiliated with the University of California Los Angeles.
Address correspondence to: Edward Dunbar, Department of Psychology, University
of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024 USA (E-mail: edunbar@ucla. edu).
Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, Vol. 5(1) 2005
http://www.haworthpress.com/web/JFPP
© 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1300/J158v05n01_01 1