Lord Bracadale has unveiled his recommendations for how to improve and strengthen Scotland’s hate crime laws.

His report, based on the recent consultation process, recommends that existing laws be extended to include hostility on the basis of gender or age.

The report goes on to recommend changes to the language used in hate crime laws, new provisions that would allow the courts to recognise offences that involve the exploitation of vulnerable people and the consolidation of existing hate crime legislation.

The report found:

there can be confusion about what a hate crime is and how it is dealt with
the language used in the law can be difficult to understand
it can be unclear what sort of behaviour makes something a hate crime and why that’s appropriate
not everyone agrees that there should be hate crime laws; it can be unclear what the benefits are in singling out this type of crime

Scottish Ministers will now determine what action they take.

For further information, including links to the full report and the summary report, please visit the Health and Social Care Alliance website.