Why are hate crimes sentenced so varyingly?

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A white former Connecticut university student accused of smearing body fluids on her black roommate's belongings has avoided a hate crime charge.

In an appearance in Hartford Superior Court, prosecutors did not file additional charges Monday against 18-year-old Brianna Brochu, of Harwinton, who pleaded not guilty.

Civil rights advocates had asked the state to add a hate crime charge to the criminal mischief and breach of peace counts Brochu faces. NAACP Greater Hartford Branch President Imam Abdul-Shahid Muhammad Ansari attended the hearing and said that he, along with other NAACP members, are not pleased with the decision.

A Florida man who broke into a mosque and left a slab of raw bacon now faces 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges, the state attorney's office said.

Michael Wolfe, 37, of Titusville, Fla., will serve 15 years in state prison, followed by 15 years probation for the January 2016 hate crime at the Islamic Society of Central Florida Masjid Al-Munin Mosque in Titusville. Prosecutors said the agreement was reached after discussions with the Islamic Society of Central Florida and Titusville police.

A teen who narrated a shocking video of a disabled man being tortured and abused has been sentenced only to probation.

Brittany Covington, 19, was sentenced to four years probation on Friday in Chicago, after pleading guilty to a hate crime, in a case that received national attention earlier this year.

The incident, broadcast live on Facebook, involved a white victim and four black people who taunted him with profanities against white people and now-President Donald Trump.

Covington had been held in jail without bond since January, when the video surfaced. 

These are three examples of recent hate crimes with three different judicial outcomes. Whether or not you agree with the sentencing, my question to you is WHY do you think the sentences are so different when all three were legally labeled hate crimes? Do you think we need to be more consistent when sentencing obvious hate crimes? How can we avoid biased judges and juries when these types of crimes occur, if that is even possible? Is this just more evidence of the flaws in our justice system?

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