New legislation will see increased prison sentences for hateful crimes from today
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said 'research shows that victims of crime motivated by hate suffer significantly more distress as a result than victims of other types of crimes; with more adverse mental health and physical health outcomes.' Picture: Sam Boal/Collin Photos
The contentious new hate crime legislation comes into force today and will see increased prison sentences for crimes that have been proven to be motivated by hatred.
The legislation was subject to much debate and scrutiny and led to the hate speech element being dropped although Justice Minister Helen McEntee said she wanted to see this progressed at a later stage.
