Text 6 classification of crimes

Exercise 6.1 Study the vocabulary:

1) embezzlement	1) розтрата
2) slander	2) наклеп (усний)
3) libel	3) наклеп (письмовий)
4) smuggling	4) контрабанда
5) assault	5) збройний напад
6) assassination	6) вбивство політичного діяча
7) treason	7) державна зрада
8) arson	8) підпал
9) extortion	9) вимагання
10) theft	10) крадіжка
11) burglary	11) крадіжка зі зломом
12) felony	12) тяжкий кримінальний злочин
13) misdemeanor	13) дрібний злочин
14) culpability	14) винуватість
15) infringe on the rights	15) порушення прав
16) act of attainder	16) законодавчий акт, що передбачає застосування покарання
17) larceny	17) крадіжка, здійснена за обтяжливих обставин
18) antitrust legislation	18) антимонопольне законодавство
19) ex post facto law	19) закон із зворотною силою
20) to ascertain	20) встановлювати
21) propriety	21) виправданість

Exercise 6.2 Read and translate the text:

Crimes are usually classified as treason, felony, or misdemeanor. The fundamental distinction between felonies and misdemeanors rests with the penalty and the power of imprisonment. In general, a misdemeanor is an offense for which a punishment other than death or imprisonment in the state prison is prescribed by law. The term “degree of crime” refers to distinctions in the culpability of an offense because of the circumstance surrounding its commission. Crimes are sometimes divided according to their nature into crimes mala in se and crimes mala prohibita; the former class comprises those acts that are thought to be immoral or wrong in themselves, or naturally evil, such as murder, rape, arson, burglary, larceny, and the like; the latter class embraces those acts that are not naturally evil but are prohibited by statute because they infringe on the rights of others (e.g. acts in restraint of trade that have been made criminal under antitrust legislation). For example, in the United States, the power to define crimes and set punishment for them rests with the legislatures of the United States, the several states, and the territories, the principal authority being that of the individual states. This power in the states is registered by the federal Constitution, e.g., in the Fourteenth Amendment and in prohibitions against acts of attainder (an act of attainder is a legislative declaration that a particular individual is guilty of a crime) and against ex post facto laws (laws that retroactively declare certain actions to be criminal). State constitutions may also limit state legislative action. The courts cannot look further into the propriety of a penal statute than to ascertain whether the legislature has the power to enact it. Administrative rules may have the force of law, and violations of such rules are punishable as public offenses, provided that the legislature has made such violations misdemeanors.

Exercise 6.3 Read the statements. Are they true or false? Correct the false ones.

1. The fundamental distinction between felonies and misdemeanors is in the type of punishment.

2. The term “degree of crime” refers to distinctions in the culpability of an offense because of the person committing this crime.

3. Crimes mala in se are thought to be naturally evil.

4. Crimes mala prohibita include murder, rape, arson, burglary, larceny etc.

5. In the United States, the power to define crimes and set punishment for them rests with the judiciary of the United States.

6. The federal Constitution restricts the power of the state to define laws.

7. State constitutions may also limit state legislative action.

8. The violations of administrative rules are not punishable as public offenses.

Exercise 6.4 Match the following crimes with their definitions:

1.Embezzlement	a) the crime of taking for personal use money or property that has been given on trust by others, without their knowledge or permission
2. Slander	b) trying to find out secrets by illegal means
3. Libel	c) the killing of somebody, especially a political leader or other public figure, by a sudden violent attack
4. Smuggling	d) the crime of entering a building to commit a felony, usually theft
5. Assault	e) the crime of carrying goods into a country secretly because they are illegal or in order to avoid paying duty on them
6. Assassination	f) betraying your country to a foreign power
7. Treason	g) the crime of obtaining something such as money or information from somebody using force, treats, or other unacceptable methods
8. Murder	h) a violent physical or verbal attack
9. Arson	i) the act or an instance of illegally taking something that belongs to somebody else, especially by using force, treats, or violence
10. Extortion	j) killing somebody intentionally
11. Robbery	k) the crime of setting fire to a building
12.Theft	l) the act or crime of stealing somebody else’s property
13.Burglary	m) the offense of saying something false or malicious that damages somebody’s reputation
14.Espionage	n) the offense of writing or publishing something false or malicious that damages somebody’s reputation

Exercise 6.5 How well do you know phrasal verbs on the topic “Crimes and Punishment”? Read the definitions and choose the corresponding phrasal verbs.

1. To get into a building or car using force is to _____.

2. break out b) break down c) break in

2. To steal money from a bank by using force is a _____.

2. Hold in b) hold down c) hold up

3. To steal or take something without asking is _____.

2. run off with b) do without c) do over

4. To hurt someone badly by hitting or kicking is to _____.

2. pull tem over b) beat them up c) put one over

5. To kill someone in informal English is to _____.

11. do away b) have away c) stay

6. To destroy something with a bomb is to _____.

11. beat it up b) blow it up c) knock it over

7. To take the criminal to the police is to ______.

1. turn them over b) turn them in c) turn them down

8. To put someone in prison is to ____.

1. lock them up b) do them in c) blow them up

9. To not punish someone for their crime is to _____.

1. give them over b) let them off c) put them away

10. To succeed in not being punished for a crime is to _____ it.

1. get away with b) make off with c) pick through

Ex. 6.6 Do the Crime and Punishment Quiz ( the British Style):

1. Which of the following European countries has the highest prison population per head?

A: Germany B: France

C: England and Wales D: Sweden

2. How often does a crime take place in England and Wales?

A: Every two seconds B: Every 5 seconds

C: Every 12 seconds D: Every 20 seconds

3. Who is most likely to be a victim of violent crime by a stranger?

A: Old ladies B: Old men

C: Young women D: Young men

4. What is the average sentence length for a 21-year -old rapist?

A: Four and a half years B: Six years

C: Eight and a half years C: Ten years

5. Approximately how many children a year are separated from their mother by prison?

A: 13,000 B: 9,000

C: 5,000 D: 20,000

6. Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be executed in Britain at Holloway Prison. When was she hanged?

A: 13 July 1955 B: 14 March 1926

C: 15 August 1967 D: 16 September 1905