Young Offenders
Ex. 34 A. Read the following information about Angus and Rick, who are both convicted offenders.
Angus comes from Glasgow but ran away to London when he was 15. He is now 19. He has convictions for breaking and entering, and petty theft.
Rick is 18 and has always lived in London. He has been in trouble with the police on and off since he was 11. He was recently convicted of petty theft and minor assault.
B. You will hear Angus and Rick discussing their respective punishments. Before you listen, read through the list of statements below. What can you predict about the content of the Listening?
The influence of friends led him astray.
Community Service is preferable to prison.
Community Service was not an easy experience.
People don't like dealing with violent criminals
Community Service led to further conflicts with those in authority.
Community Service can be rewarding.
Time passes slowly when doing Community Service.
The experience has changed him.
C. Now listen to the recording. Indicate which of the opinions listed are given by each speaker. In each box, write either: A (Angus) or R (Rick) or B (both Angus and Rick)
D. Discuss these questions.
Who do you think has benefited most from his experience of community service? Justify your answer.
Who do you think is more likely to re-offend? Why?
Ex. 35 A. Before you listen
Choose the words and expressions from the box to replace the words in italics in the following sentences.
She firmly believes that nobody is so bad that he/she cannot be improved.
The first suspect’s father paid money to the court so that his son would be released while awaiting trial, but his accomplice had no money and so he was held in prison until the trial was due to take place.
Human rights workers in the area report that deliberate murder of whole community has taken place and are demanding that the people responsible for this crime should be put on trial immediately.
Members of the United Nations met yesterday to approve and sign a treaty on arms control.
bail beyond redemption face prosecution genocide on remand perpetrators ratify
B. Do you think that people convicted of such felonies as murder should serve their sentence in full or should they be eligible for amnesty?
C. You will hear a conversation between two friends, Tom and Kate, who are discussing how murderers should be dealt with. For questions 1-8, write YES next to those views which are expressed by either of the speakers, and NO next to those which are not expressed by them.
Note: you are asked to identify opinions expressed by the speakers. Do not confuse these with other people’s opinions which are reported by the speakers.
A life sentence should mean that the criminal spends the rest of his/her life in prison.
No criminal is beyond redemption.
Judges should me more open-minded.
Prison sentences fail to rehabilitate criminals.
Serial killers should never be released from prisons.
Murderers are not released if the authorities think they pose a risk to the public.
Protection of the public is more important than individual liberty.
The death penalty should be re-introduced.
Ex. 36 Render the following text in English: