Text b What Type of Conduct Amounts to a Crime

Law makes conduct criminal if by causing or threatening harm it creates a sense of insecurity. What counts as harm depends to some extent on what each society thinks is objectionable. But behaviour that strikes at people's lives and bodies, their property or the safety of the whole community is everywhere regarded as harmful.

To begin with people's lives and bodies, all countries make it a crime intentionally to kill another person (murder) or to wound them. It is also a crime to threaten someone in such a way that they think that they are about to be killed or wounded (assault). Equally or more disturbing is forcing someone to have sexual intercourse against their will (rape).

We all have an interest in other people not being murdered, wounded or raped not only ourselves and our families. In practice, however, the state and its officials often cannot prosecute the wrongdoer unless the victim (for example the woman raped) reports what has happened and gives evidence against her attacker.

The crimes mentioned are offences against our bodies or persons. There are also offences against property. Property is an element of stability in people's lives, whether they are rich or poor. Theft is in all countries a crime.

Vocabulary

assault n угроза физическим насилием; покушение на нанесение удара

cause harm v причинять вред, ущерб

cause offence v совершать преступление

conduct n поведение

give evidence v давать показания

offences against bodies or person преступления против личности

offences against property преступления против собственности

prosecute the wrongdoer v преследовать нарушителя в судебном порядке

rape v изнасиловать; n изнасилование

theft n воровство

threaten harm v угрожать нанесением вреда, ущерба

undermine v подрывать, наносить вред

victim n жертва

wound v ранить

Reading tasks

Answer these questions.

1 When does law make conduct criminal?

2 What behaviour is regarded as harmful?

3 What do all countries consider to be a crime?

4 What crimes are mentioned in this text?

5 Why is it often difficult to prosecute the wrongdoer?

6 How are offences classified?

Language focus

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the words and the correct preposition from the box. Some prepositions are used twice.

for of from against to into with

1 Her employer / accuse / her / steal / money.

2 The lock / prevent/ the burglar / break / the house.

3 He / be / convict / murder.

4 His friend / be / arrest / sell / drugs / teenagers.

5 Crimes / the elderly / are / become / more common.

6 He / serve / a five year sentence / robbery / violence.

Vocabulary tasks

A Match the legal terms with their definitions.

1	victim	a	a person who commits a crime
2	assault	b	the state of being not safe or protected
3	criminal	c	damage or injury that is caused by a person or an event
4	harm	d	a person who does something dishonest or illegal
5	safety	e	a person who had been attacked, injured or killed as the result of a crime, an accident
6	wrongdoer	f	the crime of attacking somebody physically
7	insecurity	g	the state of being protected from danger or harm

B Complete the newspaper extracts using the correct form of the words and phrases from the box.

showed very bad well-known employed

started before to trick