(Source: US Department of Justice) Celebrating the Fifth Anniversary of the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crime Prevention Act Courtesy of U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner of the Eastern District of California The enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in October 2009 marked a critical step forward in our battle against bias-motivated violence. The act expanded the jurisdictional reach of federal investigators and prosecutors, provided resources to local authorities to assist them in the prosecution of hate crimes and, for the first time in federal law, established protections for persons targeted for violence on the basis of sexual orientation and gender...
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