Bipolar disorder, which used to be called manic depressive illness or manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by wide mood swings from high (manic) to low (depressed). Periods of high or irritable mood are called manic episodes.
James Byrd, Jr. was not engaged in a federally-protected activity when he was lynched and killed. The Matthew Shepard Act expanded the 1969 Federal Hate Crime Law to cover these and other types of brutal murders.
The HCPA also requires that the Attorney Generalâs annual summary of the data acquired under the Hate Crimes Statistics Act include a report on hate crimes committed by, and hate crimes directed against, juveniles. What is the history of the HCPA? Hate crimes legislation was initially introduced in the House and Senate in 1997.