How are "hate crimes" defined under Utah law?

Under Utah law, "hate crimes" are defined as criminal offenses that are motivated by bias against protected characteristics, which include but are not limited to race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. This definition acknowledges the underlying motivation of the offender, which is rooted in prejudice or hatred towards a specific group.

This approach emphasizes not just the act of the crime itself, but the intent behind it, recognizing that such crimes are often more harmful to victims and their communities due to the biases that inform them. By categorically identifying these motivations, the law aims to address and combat the broader societal issues of discrimination and intolerance.

The other definitions do not capture the essence of what constitutes a hate crime within Utah law. For example, one option focuses solely on the level of violence, which neglects the critical element of bias motivation. Another mistakenly restricts the definition to only those crimes that result in physical injury, which overlooks non-violent offenses that can still be considered hate crimes based on their biased motivations. Moreover, a definition that limits hate crimes to property offenses based on ethnic bias fails to account for the full range of protected characteristics and types of crimes that can amount to hate crimes, further limiting the scope of