Modern crimes

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Crimes are acts that are forbidden and punished by law; they may threaten the well-being of society, or injure any of its members. Crime is found in most societies, and among all social groups within any society. People are most likely to commit a criminal act between the ages of 15 and 25.

All societies have to have rules, or laws, about what is right and wrong. Laws are necessary in order for people to live and work together in peace and security. But the idea of what makes a crime is different in various parts of the world. For example, today in some countries in the Middle East a man may legally have several wives at the same time. In North America and Europe that would be a crime. Changing times and social attitudes may lead to changes in the criminal law, so that behavior that was once criminal becomes lawful. Conceptions of crime vary so widely from culture to culture and change with time to such an extent that it may be difficult to name a specific act universally regarded as criminal.

Such acts as treason, murder, assault, stealing, forgery, lying under oath, and arson are, as the lawyers say, malum in se, which is Latin for “bad in themselves”. These crimes have been punished throughout history because they have always been thought to be against the moral and ethical standards of society – that is, what society regards as good or bad, right or wrong. They are called “traditional” crimes. Other acts have been declared by law to be crimes or malum prohibitum – acts that are bad because the law says they are. An example of such a crime is having a gun without a licence.

One of the best known classifications of crimes comes from English common law. Crimes are classified according to their seriousness.

Generally, treason, murder, rape, arson, and stealing are classified as very serious crimes and are called felonies. They are punishable by imprisonment, and sometimes by death. Traffic offences, drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and other minor offences are classed as misdemeanours. They may be punished by a fine, a warning, some hours of community service or a short jail sentence. In the United States crimes are still classified like this. In England they are classified according to their seriousness as arrestable and non-arrestable.

Vocabulary and Speech Exercises

1. Guess the meaning of these words and divide them into four groups according their parts of speech.

Group, conceptions, culture, declare, classify, moral, arrestable, idea, legally, ethical, standards, history, social, traditional, criminal, act, classification, specific, licence, universally, arrest.

II. Match the English words and word-combinations given below with their Russian equivalents.

1) благополучие общества 2) совершать преступление 3) штраф 4) деяние, преступное по своему характеру 5) тюремное заключение 6) наказывать 7) запрещенный по закону 8) мир и безопасность 9) тяжесть (преступления) 10) приговор краткосрочного тюремного заключения 11) в соответствии 12) деяние, преступное в силу запрещения законом

a) peace and security b) seriousness c) imprisonment d) be forbidden by law e) well-being of society f) be punishable by g) according to h) malum in se i) jail sentence j) malum prohibitum k) fine l) commit a criminal act

III. Say whether the statements are true or false; correct the false ones.

1. Crime is found in most societies, but among a limited number of social groups.

2. The most likely age of criminals is over 25.

3. All societies have the same rules and the same laws about what is right and wrong.

4. The conceptions of crime vary in different countries of the world.

5. Some crimes have been punished throughout history because they have always been thought to be against the moral and ethical standards of society.

6. “Traditional” crimes are acts that are bad because the law says they are.

7. In Great Britain and the USA the crimes are classified in the same way.

8. Felonies are usually punishable by a small fixed penalty fine, a short jail sentence or some hours of community service.

9. The most serious punishment is the death penalty.

10. In Europe and North America minor offences are classed as misdemeanors.

6. A) Make up a list of crimes from the text and classify them according to the British or American law. Be able to translate the names of the crimes mentioned in the text.

B) Find the types of punishment in the text and match them to the Russian ones.

5. A) Below are 14 crimes. Firstly, link each crime to its definition and then classify each crime as violent (V) or non-violent (NV).

V or NV	Name of crime	Definition of crime
	assault	a generic term for the killing of another person
	drug dealing	any instance in which one party deceives or takes unfair advantage of another
V	money laundering	attempt to use illegal force on another person
	battery	attempt to use illegal force on another person in the absence of consent to sexual relations
	homicide	attempt to transform illegally acquired money into apparently legitimate money
	manslaughter	driving a vehicle in excess of the permitted limit
	fraud	leaving one’s vehicle in an area or for a duration in contravention of the law
	murder	possession of and/or trading in illegal substances
	armed robbery	taking the property of another without right or permission
	sexual assault	the actual use of illegal force on another person
	burglary	the crime of breaking into a private home with the intention of committing a felony
	theft	the unlawful killing of a person with intent
	parking	the unlawful killing of a person without malicious intent and therefore without premeditation
	speeding	the unlawful taking of another’s property using a dangerous weapon

B) Memorize the names of crimes in English by playing the game: Student A reads the definition of a crime, Students B tries to guess.

Read the dialogue and fill out the police report. Act out the same roles based on the dialogue (hotel room theft, pickpocket, auto theft, shoplifting, etc.).