Text 5. Administration of Justice in the uk

I. Read and translate the following text.

The highest judicial body in the British judicial system is the House of Lords. The Law Lords are life peers who hear appeals as members of the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords.

Most prosecutions in Britain are initiated by the police. As soon as a person is arrested, he must be brought to court with the minimum of delay. If the case is not serious and can't be tried quickly, an arrested person is granted bail. Judges are appointed from practicing lawyers, nearly always ex-barristers. Law magistrates try less serious criminal cases. The more serious cases are tried by the jury. The jury is a group of ordinary citizens, traditionally 12 in number and chosen at random, who decide on guilt or innocence. The accused person is considered innocent until his guilt is proved.

The most common punishments are fines, probation, a suspended sentence and a sentence of community service. Long-term and life imprisonment are the penalties for the most serious crimes. Capital punishment in Great Britain was suspended in the XX century, but a lot of people nowadays think that the death penalty for certain categories of murder should be reintroduced.

Vocabulary

judicial body life peers Appellate Committee prosecutions to be granted bail law magistrate jury guilt innocence common a fine probation a suspended sentence a sentence of community service long-term imprisonment life imprisonment capital punishment to suspend the death penalty to reintroduce

судебный орган пожизненные пэры апелляционный комитет уголовное преследование, иски получить временное освобождение под залог, денежное обязательство мировой судья суд присяжных вина невиновность распространённый штраф условное освобождение на поруки условный приговор приговор к определённому сроку принудительных общественных работ долгосрочное тюремное заключение пожизненное тюремное заключение смертная казнь отменить смертная казнь, смертный приговор возвратить, ввести вновь

II. Answer the following questions.

1. What is the highest judicial body of the British judicial system?

2. Where are appeals heard?

3. Who are members of the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords?

4. Who are prosecutions most often initiated by?

5. In what cases is an arrested person granted bail?

6. Who are the most serious cases tried by?

7. What are the most common punishments?

8. What are the penalties for the most serious crimes?

III. Choose the correct variant.

1. The Law Lords are a) hereditary peers b) life peers

2. Bail is granted in a) serious cases b) less serious cases

3. Judges are appointed from a) ex-barristers b) solicitors

4. Law magistrates try a) serious cases b) less serious cases

5. The jury are chosen from a) people with a legal education b) rank-and-file people

6. The accused person

a) is considered guilty until his b) is considered innocent until his guilt innocence is proved is proved

7. One of the most common punishments is a) a fine b) life imprisonment

8. One of the penalties for the most serious crimes is a) long-term imprisonment b) a sentence of community service

9. People's views on capital punishment

a) have always been the same b) are undergoing changes at present