Topic 3. The Causes of Crime

Topical vocabulary

to adopt – принимать to commit crime – совершать преступление complex – сложный criminal – преступник devil – дьявол differential association – дифференциальное общение to explain – объяснять to expose to – подвергать inclination – склонность, предрасположение to indicate – указывать innate – врожденный instigation – подстрекательство law-breaker – правонарушитель mentally deficient – слабоумный multiple causation theory – теория многообразия факторов

murder – убийство numerous – многочисленный offence – правонарушение perverse – извращенный, испорченный physician – врач, доктор poverty – бедность property – собственность to provide for – обеспечивать что-л. psychiatrist – психиатр to relate to – соотносить skull – череп theft – кража theology – теология unemployment – безработица unstable – неуравновешенный value – ценность

The problem of crime has been actual throughout history. For centuries scientists have been trying to find the explanation to what made people commit crime. Many theories concerning the causes of crime appeared.

The oldest theory is based on theology. Under this theory criminals are perverse persons who commit crimes at the instigation of the devil or other evil spirits.

Scientific theories appeared to explain crime in the 18th century. Joseph Gall, the German physician, tried to establish relationships between skull structure and criminal instinct.

A more complex biological theory was developed by the Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso. He attributed the tendency towards criminality to innate biological factors. Another biological theory related criminality to body types. Under this theory muscular, athletic people are more inclined to commit crimes than tall, thin or soft, rounded individuals.

The French political philosopher Montesquieu tried to relate criminal behaviour to climatic conditions. He showed that crimes against person, such as murder, are more numerous in warm climates and crimes against property, such as theft, are more numerous in cold climates.

Many famous criminologists of the 19th century related crime to poverty. They thought that people who are not able to provide for themselves often commit different offences. Sociologists proposed a theory, known as differential association, suggesting that criminal behaviour is learned behaviour. The more the individual is exposed to contact with law-breakers, the more likely he is to learn and adopt their values as the basis for his own behaviour.

Also crime rate rises in times of unemployment. Some scientists relate crime to the state of culture, the influence of economic crises, wars and revolutions.

The final group of theories are psychological and psychiatric. Studies by the American criminologist Bernard Glueck and the British psychiatrist William Healy indicated that about one fourth of convicts is emotionally unstable and another one fourth is mentally deficient.

In the mid-20th century scientists came to multiple causation theories. They think that crime appears from different influences – biological, psychological, cultural, economic and political.

Task 1. Read the words. Mind the pronunciation.

Theological, physician, biological, climatic, psychological, psychiatric, scientific, sociologist, multiple causation theory.

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

crime science explain instigate relation biology

sociology behave criminal climate number

poor associate employ revolve

psychiatry psychology cause

Task 3. Choose the word that doesn't suit the others.

1. convict, prisoner, acquit, felon.

2. consequence, reason, cause, motive.

3. perverse, law-abiding, unmanageable, difficult.

4. innate, inborn, inherited, acquired.

5. rape, assault, robbery, kidnapping.

6. arson, burglary, forgery, homicide.

7. Italian, French, theological, German.

Task 4. Find in each column the word with more general meaning.

theft	muscular	theological	psychiatrist	insanity
murder	build	biological	profession	poverty
crime	athletic	theory	physician	cause
arson	thin	psychological	criminologist	unemployment

Task 5. Find the opposites to the following words in the text:

easy, cold, to obey law, the same, to lose, acquired, unknown, imaginary, wealth, to fall, few, serious crime.

Task 6. Find in the text the synonyms to the underlined words:

1. No one knows why offence occurs. 2. There are a great variety of theories concerning the reasons of crime. 3. People carry out a crime for different reasons. 4. Prison is a place for punishing lawbreakers. 5. Ancient people believed that criminals were people who broke the law at the encouragement of evil spirits. 6. Joseph Gall was one of the outstanding German doctors in the 18^th century. 7. Karl Marx tried to set up connection between the sources of criminal activity and struggle between social classes. 8. Cesare Lombroso’s complicated theory had a great influence on the development of criminology. 9. The British criminologist Charles Goring proved that criminal types with hereditary biological traits do no exist. 10. Many people can not care for themselves and their children because they are unemployed. 11. William Sheldon suggested the theory of interrelations between the build and behaviour. 12. Under the climatic theory crimes against person are more multitudinous in warm climates. 13. Young people from the slums of large cities have a greater tendency to criminality than teenagers from small villages. 14. Until recently, this remote tribe had little communication with the outside world.

Task 7. Choose the right meaning of the underlined words.

1. The problem of juvenile delinquency is actual nowadays. (задача, проблема)

2. Knowledge of the causes of crime is based on different theories. (причины, процессы)

3. There is a relationship between social class or economic status and criminality. (родство, связь)

4. Some scientists thought that inclination to criminality was based on innate biological factors. (наклонение, склонность)

5. The rate of crime depends a lot on the state of culture. (государство, состояние)

6. William Healy showed in his studies of convicts that most of the crimes were consequences of mental illness. (заключенные, каторжники)

7. The stars’ influence on people’s life has not been proved. (воздействие, индукция)

Task 8. Match the words with their definitions.

1. criminology	a) the study of God and of religious doctrine and matters of divinity
2. psychiatry	b) the study of the human mind and its functions
3. theology	c) the scientific study of societies and the behaviour of people in groups
4. sociology	d) the scientific study of living organisms
5. biology	e) the branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the mind
6. psychology	f) scientific study of crime and criminals

Task 9. Find in the text the English equivalents to the following words and word-combinations:

• актуальная проблема

• совершать преступления

• установить взаимосвязь

• врожденные биологические черты

• склонность к совершению преступлений

• преступное поведение

• быть склонным к преступной деятельности

• преступления против человека

• преступления против собственности

• соотнести преступное поведение с климатическими условиями

• подвергаться контакту с правонарушителями

• эмоционально неуравновешенный

• умственно отсталый

• теория многообразия факторов

Task 10. Mix and match.

1. Mediaeval priests considered	a) criminality with appearance.
2. The German physician and anatomist Joseph Gall related	b) that offenders were instigated to commit crime by various evil spirits.
3. The Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso associated	c) to relate criminal behaviour to natural, or physical environment.
4. The French philosopher Montesquieu attempted	d) the criminal instinct to the skull structure of the lawbreakers.
5. Social learning theory proposed	e) that a great number of convicts are emotionally unstable and mentally deficient.
6. The British psychiatrist William Healy indicated	f) that criminal behaviour is learned from contacts within the family and other social groups.

Task 11. Complete the sentences with the prepositions.

1. People have been interested in the causes of crime _ history. 2. His discovery is based _ a study of the behaviour of criminals in prison. 3. He robbed the bank _ the instigation of his boss. 4. The most important factor in crime prevention in this area is the good relationship _ the police and the local people. 5. There is an increasing tendency _ the use of firearms _ criminals in the outskirts of New York. 6. Quite often the ability of the individual to resist the inclination _ commit crime depends _ his moral values. 7. The police report related the rise in crime _ the increase in unemployment. 8. Most legal systems differentiate between crimes _ person and crimes _ property. 9. People who are not able to provide _ themselves often commit different offences. 10. The followers of multiple causation theories believe that crime appears _ different influences.

Task 12. Complete the sentences.

1. Throughout history scientists have been trying to explain _. 2. Theological theory is based on the assumption that criminals commit _. 3. Scientific theories of crime causation appeared in _. 4. Joseph Gall established _. 5. Cesare Lombroso attributed _. 6. Some biological theories related _, suggesting that _. 7. The French philosopher Montesquieu developed _, according to which _. 8. The 19^th century criminologists associated _, thinking that _. 9. Sociologists proposed _, suggesting that _. 10. Some other factors influence the crime rate. They are _. 11. Bernard Glueck and William Healy indicated _. 12. Multiple causation theories suggest _.

Task 13. Agree or disagree with the statements according to the text.

1. The problem of criminals led to the development of various sciences concerning the causes of crime.

2. Under the theological theory criminals are good people who obey laws at the instigation of the devil or other evil spirits.

3. Joseph Gall tried to set up relationships between skull structure of a human being and an animal.

4. .Cesare Lombroso contributed a lot to the development of crime causation theory.

5. Lombroso proved that muscular, athletic people are more inclined to commit crimes than tall, thin or soft, rounded individuals.

6. Montesquieu believed that the rate of crime depends on climatic conditions.

7. Many famous psychiatrists of the 19th century related crime to poverty.

8. The poor are more likely to obey rules than the rich.

9. The more the individual is exposed to contact with law-breakers, the less good values he adopts.

10. Bernard Glueck and William Healy proved that such factors as unemployment, economic crises, wars and revolutions have a great impact on the rise in crime.

11. Nowadays scientists all over the world consider that crime appears from different sources.

Task 14. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Проблема преступности и ее причин остается актуальной на протяжении столетий. 2. Не только философы, но и криминалисты, психологи и психиатры пытались найти объяснение тому, что заставляет людей совершать преступления. 3. В средние века люди считали, что преступления совершаются только под воздействием злых сил. 4. Проблема преступности и ее причин не всегда рассматривалась с научной точки зрения. 5. Некоторые ученые пытались соотнести преступное поведение с анатомическими особенностями человека. 6. Существовала даже теория, которая определяла личность преступника по его телосложению. 7. Теория Ломброзо вызвала большой интерес в свое время. 8. Итальянский криминолог утверждал, что существует взаимосвязь между внешностью человека и его поведением. 9. Последователи теории Монтескье нашли большое количество фактов, свидетельствующих о том, что преступления против человека совершаются чаще в странах с теплыми климатическими условиями. 10. Очень часто причины преступности связывают с бедностью. 11. Люди, неспособные обеспечить себя и своих близких, склонны к совершению таких преступлений как, воровство, разбой, хулиганское нападение. 12. Согласно данным социологических исследований, дети, подверженные общению с правонарушителями, перенимают нормы преступного поведения и сами становятся преступниками. 13. Исследования доказали, что эмоциональные и психические расстройства могут привести к преступному поведению.

Task 15. Complete the chart with the information from the text.

The name of the theory	The name of the scientists	Idea
theological
biological
climatic
social environment
psychological and psychiatric
multiple causation

Task 16. Answer the following questions.

1. Why have the scientists been taking a keen interest in crime?

2. What was the oldest theory concerning crime based on?

3. What was Gall’s concept of crime causation?

4. What was Cesare Lombroso’s contribution to the development of crime causation theory?

5. What did other biological theories related criminality to?

6. What was Montesquieu’s approach to causes of crime?

7. What views on crime predominated in the 19th century?

8. What theory proposed that criminal behaviour is learned behaviour? What does it mean?

9. What do psychological and psychiatric theories indicate?

10. What are the latest views on the causes of crime?

*Task 17. Go through the list of offences and decide which are civil and which are criminal.

Murder, hijacking an aircraft, kidnapping, littering, writing graffiti on a public building, stealing a car, pickpocket, stealing sweets, making noise late at night, being on a bus without a ticket, violent behaviour in a football stadium, toxic waste pollution.

*Task 18. Look at the forms of punishment and decide which is appropriate for each offence from task 17. Write sentences as in the example.

Example: Murder is a criminal offence. I think that someone who murders somebody should be sentenced to life imprisonment.

to be sentenced to life imprisonment, to be sent to prison, to be fined a large/small amount of money, to be given a suspended sentence, to do community service, to be giving a warning.

*Task 19. Fill in the missing words.

1. The arsonist had set fire to six homes before he was finally caught and s______ (приговаривать) to fifteen years in prison.

2. “If you want me to keep my mouth shut, it’ll cost you $5000,” he whispered. “Don’t try to b_____ (шантажировать) me!” she said.

3. Secret service agents quickly disarmed the men who had tried to a______ (убить) the country’s leader.

4. With dynamite strapped to his chest, he h_____ (угнать) the plane and ordered that it fly to his country.

5. The young boy tried to p___ the old man’s p____ (совершить карманную кражу) but the security guard saw what he was doing.

6. The shop detective caught him s_____ (красть в магазине) and held him until the police arrived.

7. The museum was v_____ (совершать акт вандализма) by a gang of young boys who covered the walls with graffiti.

*Task 20. Put these actions in the correct order.

If you commit a crime you may be

accused

arrested

charged

convicted

interrogated

paroled

sent to prison

suspected

tried

*Task 21. Fill in the blanks in the text with the appropriate words:

accused, evidence, convicted, sentenced, tried, arrested, guilty, put, suspected.

The police had 1)___ Paul Williams for months, and when they finally gathered some real 2)___ against him he was 3)___ by the police and 4)___ of trafficking in drugs. A few weeks later he was 5)___ for the crime. The jury were quickly convinced that he was 6)___ of drug – trafficking, so he was 7)___ of the crime and 8)___ to ten years in prison. The police were satisfied they had managed to 9)___ such a dangerous criminal behind bars.

*Task 22. Match the two parts of the sentences.

1. The number of crimes reported	a) used to hang around the station.
2. We believe that	b) for various offences including rape.
3. John is now in jail	c) resources to fight organized crime.
4. He was fined	d) the crime was committed around 7.30 p.m.
5. People who break the law	e) for selling illegal things.
6. James made around	f) $100.000 for his criminal activities.
7. Leo became involved in	g) petty crime at a very young age.
8. The courts should	h) must expect to be punished.
9. Gangs of thieves	i) impose tougher punishments or offenders.
10. Police need more	j) to the police has increased.

*Task 23. Read the dialogue and complete the table with the missing words.

A: Excuse me! Have you got a moment?

B: What can I do for you?

A: I’m a Sociology student from Leeds University, and we’re doing a survey on the rise in crime. We’re interested in getting people’s views – that is, what they see as the main reasons.

B: What would like to know?

A: First of all, would you say that unemployment was a factor in the rise in crime?

B: Yes, I’d say it was. If a person remains unemployed for a long time it becomes difficult for them to support themselves. Some people may turn to crime as an easy way of making money. Of course, seeing all those products advertised on TV all the time doesn’t help either.

A: So you think advertising is to blame as well?

B: Oh yes, definitely. TV advertising makes you want things that you don’t really need. Some people end up stealing things they want, but they can’t afford.

A: You mentioned TV. Do you think that some programmes might play a part in the rise in crime?

B: I certainly do! Some programmes are so violent, it makes me sick to watch them. Seeing violence so often on the television makes young people think that it’s alright, and makes them more likely to act in a violent way in real life. What’s more, criminals are often shown in a way that makes them and their lifestyle look glamorous and desirable. Who can blame the kids for wanting to be like them?

A: And what about social pressures?

B: Yes, I suppose that’s part of it as well. Teenagers in particular are often drawn into the wrong group of friends and feel pressure to fit in. This usually means that they have to commit petty crimes such as shoplifting in order to be accepted by the gang. The worst thing is that once you begin a life of crime it can be very difficult to get out, and you end up committing more and more serious offences.

A: I see. Thank you for your interesting comments. They’ve been very helpful.

B: Oh, you’re very welcome.

Unemployment	some people may turn to crime as an easy way of ________
Advertisements	some people end up ______ things they want but they can’t _________
TVprogrammes	too much violence on TV makes young people more likely to act in a _____ way in real life criminals are shown in a way that makes them and their lifestyle look glamorous and _______
Social pressures	teenagers have to commit petty crimes, such as shoplifting, in order to ______ by the gang once you begin a life of crime it can be very difficult to _______