Hate Crimes

Under Massachusetts law, a “hate crime” is “any criminal act coupled with overt actions motivated by bigotry and bias including, but not limited to, a threatened, attempted or completed overt act motivated at least in part by racial, religious, ethnic, handicap, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation prejudice, or which otherwise deprives another person of his constitutional rights by threats, intimidation or coercion, or which seek to interfere with or disrupt a person's exercise of constitutional rights through harassment or intimidation.”

By definition, all hate crimes are bias incidents but not all bias incidents are hate crimes.

Reporting a Hate Crime

Hate crimes that occur within the Smith community should be reported to Campus Safety by phone or in person. Campus Safety staff members are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Smith College Department of Campus Safety
126 West Street
Northampton, MA
413-585-2490