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According to recently released Justice Department data, Wisconsin had more reported religious and racial hate crimes in 2022 than South Carolina and Mississippi combined. However, not everything is how it might appear.
Religious hate crimes in Wisconsin have nearly tripled from 10 in 2020 to 29 in 2022, while racial hate crimes have nearly doubled in Wisconsin from 2020 to 2022, increasing from 43 to 72, according to newly obtained data from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Religious hate crimes in Mississippi actually decreased by 50% from 2020-2022 (from two to one), and racial hate crimes in Mississippi from 14 to 16 from 2020 to 2022, according to data from the U.S. Department of Justice.
In South Carolina, religious hate crimes decreased from 31 to 13 from 2020-2022 and racial hate crimes decreased from 58 to 40 in the Palmetto state.
In Wisconsin, 362 law enforcement agencies provided hate crime data out of 451, which is about 80%.
In South Carolina, 94% of law enforcement agencies provided data, but in Mississippi only 57% of law enforcement agencies provided data to the Justice Department.
A Wisconsin Law Journal investigation revealed hate crime laws vary significantly state-by-state, which could explain why South Carolina's reported hate crime numbers are so low.
States such as Indiana, Missouri, Wyoming, and Montana and South...