To the Editor:

The Short Answer to Jeff Jacoby's question - ``Are hate crimes any worse than others?'' (Op-ed, May 17) - is: Yes. Jacoby missed the point of the legislation.

Hate crime offenders target entire communities because of personal and immutable characteristics, with a goal of intimidation. Their victims experience twice as many injuries and four times more trips to the hospital.

It is only when an individual commits a crime based on biased beliefs and intentionally targets another for violence that this law would be triggered. The Supreme Court got it right in 1993 when it unanimously upheld Wisconsin's law. Jacoby's concern about double jeopardy is similarly misplaced, since the Supreme Court ruled dual prosecutions constitutional in 1959.

This legislation would allow, for the first time, the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute certain bias-motivated crimes - including those motivated by sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. It would fill a void in places where state law is inadequate, and provide additional resources to states where the funding and expertise are lacking.

Virtually every major law enforcement organization in the country has endorsed this legislation. They believe, as we do, that this law would improve the criminal justice system's response to these devastating crimes.