Topic 2. Criminology

Topical vocabulary

to aim – стремиться	to mitigate – смягчать
apprehending – задержание, арест	objective – цель
causes of crime – причины преступления	offender – правонарушитель, преступник
to consider – считать	the operation of prisons – работа тюрем
convict – осужденный	to originate – происходить, возникать
convicting – обвинение, вынесение приговора	penal institution – карательное учреждение
curve – изгиб	prevention – предотвращение
to determine – определять	to recognise – узнавать
to encourage – поддерживать	to set out – излагать
to intend – предназначать	to stick out – торчать
to investigate – исследовать, изучать	to stress – подчеркивать

Criminology is a social science. It deals with the nature and causes of crime, its prevention; the characteristics of criminals; the problems of apprehending and convicting offenders; the operation of prisons; the rehabilitation of convicts.

Criminology has two basic objectives: to determine the causes of crime and to develop effective principles for the social control of crime.

Criminology originated in the late 18^th century. The main schools of criminology were: the classical school, the positivist school, the “social defence” school.

The classical school appeared in the late 18^th century, it aimed to mitigate legal penalties and humanise penal institutions.

The positivist school appeared in the 19^th century, it investigated the crime, its nature and causes. They held that criminals were shaped by their environment. That school stressed rehabilitative measures.

The “social defence” school stressed the importance of balance between the rights of criminals and the rights of society.

Professor Lombroso is regarded as father of criminology. He was a professor of psychiatry and forensic medicine, a director of a mental asylum.

In his book “the Criminal” Lombroso set out the idea that there is a definite criminal type, who can be recognised by appearance. For example, he thought that left-handed persons have a criminal instinct. Among the things he considered important were the shape of the head, colour of the hair, the eyes, the curve of the chin and forehead and if the ears stick out. Lombroso’s theories were popular in Europe for a time.

He tried to reform the Italian penal system, he encouraged more humane treatment of convicts through the use of work programmes intended to make them more productive members of society.

Task 1. Read the words. Mind the pronunciation.

Criminology, psychiatry, forensic medicine, mental asylum, forehead, society, rehabilitation, instinct.

Task 2. Find in the text the derivatives of the following words:

crime to prevent to appear

to treat to produce social

effect convict origin

Task3. Choose the word that doesn’t suit the others.

1. correctional institution, prison, court, penal institution

2. hospital, mental asylum, health resort, forensic medicine

3. chin, character, forehead, appearance

4. convict, policeman, criminal, offender

5. instinct, curve, behaviour, character

Task 4. Find in the text the synonyms to the words in bold type:

1. The objectives of criminology and criminalistics are rather different. 2. The system of penal institutions is to be changed. 3. The scientific study of criminals originated in the late 18^th century. 4. Modern criminologists hold that criminals are shaped by a multiplicity of factors. 5. The earliest known form of punishment for crime was execution of the offender. 6. Cesare Lombroso is considered to be the founder of the Italian School of Positivist Criminology. 7. Other scientists set out the idea that most offenders are not born criminal but are formed by their environment. 8. A lot of scientists supported Lombroso’s approach. 9. Criminology deals with the problems of arrest and making a verdict.

Task 5. Match the words with their definitions.

1. crime	a) the branch of medicine which deals with disorders of the mind
2. forensic medicine	b) inborn tendency to behave in a definite way
3. prison	c) a person serving a prison sentence
4. mental asylum	d) the application of medicine to legal and criminal investigations
5. to rehabilitate	e) a building used to house convicted criminals
6. instinct	f) an institution for the mentally ill
7. psychiatry	g) to help adapt to society after a stay at an institution
8. convict	h) violation of the law

Task 6. Find in the text the English equivalents to the following words and word-combinations:

• общественная наука

• природа преступлений

• задержание преступников

• вынесение приговора преступникам

• определить причины преступления

• смягчить наказание

• исследовать природу преступлений

• права преступников

• подчеркивать важность

• судебная медицина

• психиатрическая больница

• определенный тип преступника

• более гуманное отношение к заключенным

Task 7. Mix and match.

1. Criminology is	a) aimed to mitigate punishment and humanise penal institutions.
2. Classical school	b) stressed the importance of balance between the rights of criminals and the rights of society.
3. Positivist school	c) the scientific study of crime as an individual and social phenomenon.
4. Social defence school	d) established the existence of “hereditary criminals”
5. Lombroso	e) aimed rehabilitative measures, investigated the crime, its nature and causes.

Task 8. Complete the sentences.

1. Criminology deals with _. 2. The objectives of criminology are _. 3. The main schools of criminology were _. 4. The classical school of criminology aimed _. 5. The positivist school of criminology investigated _. 6. The “social defence” school stressed _. 7. Lombroso was an expert in _. 8. Lombroso was a director of _. 8. Lombroso wrote _. His idea was _. 9. Lombroso thought that left-handed people _. 10. Lombroso encouraged more humane treatment of convicts, he wanted to make them productive members of society through _.

Task 9. Complete the sentences with the prepositions.

1. Penology deals _ the methods of punishment and correction _ criminals and the prevention _ crime. 2. One of the objectives of criminology is to develop principles _ the control of crime. 3. Various schools _criminology originated _ the 18^th century. 4. The main thematic distinction has been _ classical school and positivist school. 5. Lombroso set _ the idea that skull and facial features were clues to genetic criminality. 6. Lombroso thought that criminal type can be recognised _ appearance. This approach was popular _ Europe _ a time. 7. Lombroso wanted to make convicts more productive members of society _ the use of work programs.

Task 10. Complete the text given below filling in the blanks.

Anomalies, diseases of the mind, criminology, wealthy, mental asylum, inherited, born criminal.

Cesare Lombroso was a historical figure in, and the founder of the Italian School of Positivist Criminology. Lombroso rejected the established Classical School, which held that crime was a characteristic trait of human nature. Lombroso's theory was that criminality was _, and that the _ could be identified by physical defects. Among the _ were various unusual skull sizes and asymmetries of the facial bones.

Lombroso was born in a _ Jewish family. He studied literature, linguistics, and archæology, but changed his plans and became an army surgeon. Later he was appointed professor of _ at Pavia, and later took charge of the _ at Pesaro, becoming professor of medical law and psychiatry at Turin.

Task 11. Read the following sentences, say if they are true or false:

1. Lombroso considered that criminals are born.

2. Classical school considered that punishment should be based on the principle of revenge.

3. Lombroso investigated the characteristics of criminals.

4. The “social defence school” held that criminals were shaped by their environment.

5. Criminology stresses hereditary causes of crime.

6. Lombroso wanted to mitigate correctional institutions.

Task 12. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Фрейда считают отцом психоанализа. 2. Он изучает судебную медицину. 3. Существует много научных теорий. 4. Фрейд изложил свои мысли в книге «Сновидения». 5. Ломброзо подчеркивал, что существует определенный тип преступника. 6. Я узнала его, хотя он и изменил внешность. 7. Его уши торчат. 8. Юнг поддерживал Фрейда. 9. Ломброзо считал, что форма лба, изгиб подбородка говорят о врожденных преступных наклонностях. 10. Криминология разрабатывает эффективные принципы контроля уровня преступности. 11. Цель классической школы – смягчить наказание. 12. Их школа изучала природу и причины преступлений. 13. Эта школа подчеркивала важность прав преступников.

Task 13. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of science is criminology?

2. What does it study?

3. What are objectives of criminology?

4. When did criminology appear?

5. How many schools of criminology do you know?

6. What did the classical school aim?

7. What did the positivist school investigate?

8. What did the “social defence” school stress?

9. What is Lombroso famous for?

10. Where did he study?

11. What is Lombroso’s famous work?

12. What idea did he set out in his book?

13. What was his contribution to the development of penal system?

* Task 14. Give the name of the defined law breaker.

1. steals

2. steals purses and wallets

3. gets money by threatening to disclose personal information

4. seizes airplanes

5. takes things from shop without paying

6. kills people

7. steals from houses or offices

8. steals from banks or trains

9. takes people hostage for a ransom

10. steals government secrets

11. willfully destroys property

12. marries illegally while being married already

* Task 15. Match the headlines with the crimes.

1. Boy snatched from mum in park	a) mugging
2. “Removers” empty three houses	b) assassination
3. Pensioner attacked in town centre for $5	c) hijacking
4. Factory fire “No accident”	d) kidnapping
5. President killed by single bullet	e) arson
6. Gunman forces pilot to land in desert	f) burglary

* Task 16. Underline the correct word.

1. If you don’t want someone to burgle/steal your house, you should keep the door and windows locked.

2. He keeps his bicycle securely chained so that no one will rob/steal it.

3. Two men attempted to burgle/rob the local bank, but the police arrived before they got away.

4. There’s a risk that rival companies will rob/steal our ideas.

5. I know who robbed/stole my watch.

6. Last night a gang of masked men stole/robbed a shop. They stole/robbed $2000.

7. Instead of fining the man, the judge sent him to prison because he was a repeat offender/convict.

8. That terrorist is one of the world’s most wanted suspects/criminals.

9. The offender/suspect was set free because there was no evidence to prove that he was guilty.

10. The suspect/convict had been in prison for twenty years when he died.

* Task 17. Read the news reports and match each person with the crime described.

1. John Pierce, a 15-year-old boy, was stopped by police after a 30 –minute chase. He was speeding through the streets of Preston in a car which had been reported stolen several hours before.

2. Film actress Sally Smith was arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport yesterday when over a kilo of cocaine was found in her luggage. She stated that she had no idea the cocaine was in her bag.

3. A 50-year-old housewife, Ann Daniels, was convicted yesterday of collecting money for a charity which does not exist. It is estimated that she had collected as much as $5000 before her arrest last month.

4. Police have arrested Tom Corman, aged 42. He has been charged with demanding money from several celebrities about whom he says he knows “damaging secrets”.Police were led to him by well-known actress Delia Diamond, who stated, “He was asking for huge sums of money, but I have nothing to hide”.

5. Yesterday in Clatton, police discovered an explosive device capable of destroying a 12-storey building when they searched the flat of Jerry Parr, aged 28. Parr is also believed to have planted the bomb which exploded on the platform of Clatton railway station last month, injuring 35 people.

1. John Pierce a) fraud

2. Sally Smith b) terrorism

3. Ann Daniels c) blackmail

4. Tom Corman d) joyriding

5. Jerry Parr e) drug trafficking