The U.S. Justice Department chose not to take up 82 percent of hate crime cases between 2005 and 2019, a new report reveals. Of the 1,548 cases that it did not prosecute, 55 percent were rejected due to insufficient evidence, the report says. A total of 1,878 suspects were investigated by the department, but only 17 percent of them were actually prosecuted, with another 1 percent dismissed by the courts. Of those brought to trial, 83 percent were convicted between 2005 and 2009, and 94 percent were convicted between 2015 and 2019. The average prison term for those convicted was 7.5 years, according to Axios. The findings come almost two months after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced a six-step plan to combat hate crimes in the U.S., urging the DOJ to increase resources and coordination to state, local, and tribal levels. It also comes after President Joe Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crime Act in May, speeding up the reviewal process for hate crimes related to COVID-19.