ProfJBell

Articles by: Jeannine Bell

Hate crimes are on the rise − but the narrow legal definition makes it hard to charge and convict

13th December 2023

Professor Jeannine Bell, Loyola University

OPINION: The Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, and Israel’s subsequent ground invasion of Gaza, has led to significant rise in hate crime attacks on both Jews and pro-Palestinians in the US; but Professor Jeannine Bell of Chicago’s Loyola University believes complex legislation, inadequate police training and a lack of specialists officers and prosecutors means that hate crimes are rarely reported, well investigated, charged or brought to trial.

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Jeannine Bell
Professor of Law and Social Justice

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A nationally recognized scholar in the area of policing and hate crime, Professor Jeannine Bell is a Curt and Linda Rodin Professor of Law and Social Justice at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Professor Bell teaches in the area of criminal procedure and has taught courses on the First Amendment, and her research is broadly interdisciplinary, touching on both political science and law, and relying on her empirical expertise. Prof Bell is an elected member of the American Law Institute and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation; an author and regular commentator, she has spoken for the last 20 years in cities around the country and outside of the United States on issues that relate to hate crime, hate speech, and policing.