Seems kind of like hate crimes to me. How could you ever prove something like that?
Intent is the difference between manslaughter and murder. It's the difference between a clerical error and fraud. It's the difference between unauthorized entry and buglary. Courts consider intent every day, and consider it when arriving at appropriate punishment.
The thing about Hate Crimes legislation is that it deals with the motivation behind the intent, which is taking it a step further.
As an example, suppose I ran over somebody with my car. If it was an accident, I might be reckless or negligent or drunk or something. If I did it on purpose, I am guilty of homicide. If I did it because of the person's protected status as a minority, then I would be guilty of some additional hate crime.