Exercises

1. Fill in the blanks:

1. The Crown Prosecution Service carries responsibility for... of offenders.

2. The CPS ... about 1.4 million cases every year.

3. There are 2.000 ... and ... employed by the CPS.

4. The Police investigates a ... and passes the papers to the ... .

5. A Crown ... decides whether or not to go ahead with the case.

6. If there is not enough ... the case will be stopped there.

7. Some of the public interest factors are ... when deciding to prosecute.

8. Crown Prosecutors think very carefully about the interests of the ... of the crime.

9. «Summary only» offences include minor motoring ... and disorderly ... .

10. «Either way» offences include all cases of... and some categories of ... .

11. «Either way» offences may be tried in either the ... or in the Crown Court.

12. «Indictable only» offences must always be heard in the ... .

13. All ... cases start in the magistrates’ courts.

14. The powers of police cover: the searching of... and ... of property; identification of..., detention, treatment and questioning.

2. Read the following sentences and decide if they are true or false:

1. The Police investigate crimes and have responsibility to prosecute.

2. The investigation stage is separated from the prosecution stage.

3. The Police decide whether to continue a case and bring it to court.

4. If the prosecutor thinks that there is enough evidence he sends the suspect to trial.

5. The prosecution will go ahead if a weapon was used.

6. If the offence was committed against a person serving the public the prosecutor doesn’t take it into account.

7. Crown Prosecutors must always think carefully about the interest of the suspects.

8. Magistrates try a person accused of murder.

9. The most serious crimes such as murder and armed robbery are called «summary only» offences.

10. «Summary only» offences are tried by magistrates.

11. «Indictable only» offences must always be heard in the Crown Court.

12. «Either way» offences include minor motoring offences and disorderly behaviour.

13. Every criminal case begins in the magistrates’ court.

14. The powers of police include prosecuting and sentencing.

3. Find words and expressions in the text which mean:

1. lawyer who has the right to speak and argue as an advocate in higher law courts;

2. anything that gives reason for believing smth, that makes clear or proves smth;

3. violent and sudden attack;

4. lawyer who prepares legal documents, e.g. wills, sale of land or buildings, advises clients on legal matters and speaks on their behalf in lower courts;

5. taking possession of property, etc. by law;

6. unlawful killing of a human being on purpose;

7. commit the crime of forcing sexual intercourse on (a woman or girl).

4. Ask questions to get the following answers:

1. The Crown Prosecution Service is an organisation independent of, and separate from, the police.

2. The Head of the CPS is the Director of Public Prosecutions.

3. The CPS employs nearly 2.000 lawyers and barristers.

4. The process of criminal justice begins when the police arrest a suspect.

5. A person arrested by a police officer is taken to a police station.

6. The prosecution will go ahead if the motive for the offence was any form of discrimination.

7. Crown Prosecutors must always think very carefully about the interest of the victim of the crime.

8. The case is presented in the magistrates’ court if there is enough evidence.

9. Criminal cases are divided into the following three types of offences: «summary only», «either way» and «indictable only» offences.

10. If a defendant is found not guilty, he or she cannot be prosecuted for the same offence.