- So there are a couple of different ways of tackling bias motivated conduct in the Commonwealth, including civil rights actions by the Attorney General's office, by Maura Healey's office.

But the main hate crime law basically has three components to it, or as lawyers like to say, elements.

So the first element is you have to show that the defendant committed a traditional crime like assault.

Second, and most importantly, you have to show that the defendant acted with, "the intent to intimidate the victim "because the victim belonged "to a particular protected group."

And third, you have to show that that person was chosen because of that protected status.

That it's based on race or religious affiliation, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and so on.

Now if you're convicted of a hate crime in Massachusetts, not only could you be subject to a fine and a possible jail sentence, but you have to experience mandatory diversity awareness training and pay a surcharge, basically, a tax into a diversity education awareness fund.

That's basically how it works.