English fo MP student book

UNIT 3 – Criminal Investigations

# Exercise 6

Re-phrase the following sentences by using an appropriate modal verb.

Examples

It is possible to invalidate a confession under the provisions of the Codes.

A confession may be invalidated under the provisions of the Codes.

Probably the accused failed to mention facts to the police.

The accused must have failed to mention facts to the police.

1.The confession is likely to be unreliable.

2.It was possible that the action employed by the police was unfair.

3.It is impossible that the interviewing officers bullied the suspect.

4.Possibly the judge will direct the jury to ignore the evidence.

5.It is almost certain that the defendant was drinking with the victim on the night of the mugging.

6.Probably the jury took into consideration the defendant’s mental condition when passing such a light sentence.

7.It is likely that the defendant benefited from mitigating circumstances.

8.The police were positive that the suspect had previous experience of being interviewed at a police station.

9.It is possible that the police have made more limited disclosure of evidence than is normal.

10.I’m sure that the witness didn’t see as much as he claimed to have seen.

# Exercise 7

Complete the text with the verbs in brackets in the infinitive (active or passive) or the –ing form.

When (1) ……………. (investigate) crime, the police choose between reactive and proactive policing. The reactive approach involves the police in (2) …………….. (respond) to public calls for help. It has the advantages that the police operate openly and in response to real public demand and with the consent of the public.

When (3)..……….…..(not answer) calls, the police are expected (4) …………….. (patrol) openly (5) ……………….. (deter) wrongdoing – but it has been pointed out that the strategy, especially patrolling, is very inefficient – the police rarely bump into criminals who are on their way home from a burglary.

The proactive approach involves (6) …………. (build) up pictures of threats to law and order and potential criminality through the targeting of potential criminals and the surveillance. Intelligence is vital so that threats can (7) ……………………….. (identify) and appropriate counter-measures (8)…………….. (take). This form of policing tends (9) ……………..

(involve) specialist squads who are reliant on the analysis of crime patterns and information from the informants.

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¾ Activity 6

A key part in modern criminal investigation is played by DNA testing. This activity is based on materials from the UK Forensic Science Service (FSS).

www.fss.org.uk

These are two of their FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions.

Q: Can a DNA profile ever be exclusive to one person?

A: Apart from the case of genetically identical twins, the DNA contained in every person’s cells is different from that contained by any other person. The FSS looks at eleven information sites using the current DNA profiling technique

Q: What is the best reference sample to submit – a blood sample, a buccal scrape or hair sample?

A: DNA can be extracted from any cells that contain a structure called the nucleus. This is where the DNA resides within the cell. Nucleated cells are found in (white) blood cells, buccal (cheek) cells, spermatozoa, vaginal cells, hair root sheath cells and body tissue cells.

The choice of the appropriate reference sample depends on the case. The DNA unit would prefer to receive blood samples because of the ease of processing. Alternative samples such as buccal scrapes (as used for the National DNA Database) or hair samples (pulled) may be taken. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) gives the police powers to take buccal scrapes or hair roots (non-intimate samples), by force, in certain circumstances and with the authority of a very senior police officer.

¾ Activity 7

Put together the parts of the sentences to get true information about SALIVA stains

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UNIT 4

CRIME, INVESTIGATION AND SOCIAL RELEVANCE

In this unit, after some revision activities, we look briefly at the safety of the citizen, considering the responsibilities of the police to investigate crime.

The unit also highlights the social pressures which the police find themselves under and some of the factors which lead to successful (or unsuccessful) results.

The race issuefrom the troubled times of the 1950s and 1960s in the USA and in modern Britainis one that should be taken into careful consideration by anyone studying crime in contemporary European or American society.

The bombing of a Jewish Temple in Atlanta, Georgia in 1958 and of the Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, may not seem to have much to “teach” the contemporary police officer. However, the issues involved were and are highly complex and all-too-relevant, as the 2000 case involving the murder of a young Nigerian boy in London shows.

On a different level, the FBI investigation of fraud connected with murder underlines the fact that more “white-collar criminals are turning to violence to achieve their ends.”

# Exercise 1 Procedures for Criminal Investigation and Prosecution

Complete the words to describe criminal investigation and prosecution procedures

1.First, the police m…………….. an a…………..

2.The police t………….. the sus…………….. to the police station.

3.Perhaps the police h……………. an identity p…………………

4.The wit…………….. may identify the suspect from an identity p………….. or from photographs in the data base – known as criminal rec…………….

5.To help identification of suspects, detectives use computers to construct “identity-kit” or “ph……………- kit” likenesses of the suspect.

6.In serious crimes, these photographic likenesses may appear on pos ………… which are displayed outside police stations or in public places.

7.They always int……………….. the sus…………….

8.The police t………………… sam………. – fingerprints, head-hair, dirt from clothes, fibres etc.

9.The police l…………… a charge as soon as possible.

10.The suspect h……… the right to contact a l …………..

11.The police either rel………… the defendant on bail or, in more serious cases, they t……………… the defendant before a mag………………. to hold the defendant on r………….

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12.In the court proceedings, the mag……………………. h …………… the evidence alone in less serious cases.

13.In more serious cases, there is a jud……………….. who hears the evidence. Again, in more serious cases, there is a ju………………., usually consisting of 12 members. The ju

……………….reaches a v ………………… after hearing all the ev…………………… .

14.In English law, there are only 2 possible v……… - “Guilty” or “ Not Guilty”.

15.If the v…………. is guilty, the court (judge or magistrate) p……… sen…….

16.The sentence for off………………… is different according to the nature of the offence, summary or indictable (petty or serious) (USA; misdemeanor or felony).

17.The jurisdiction of the courts is diff………….. acc……………… to the nature of the offence, too.

18.Prisoners who are given cus…………………………. sentences may be sent to “open” or closed prisons.

19.The first category of prison is reserved for prisoners who have comm. ……… less serious offences.

20.“Closed” prisons are for criminals who have comm____________________ serious offences.

21.Some offenders may be h______________ in “solitary confinement” if they are at risk from attack by other prisoners. For example, offenders in child abuse or sex crimes involving children.

22.The death penalty or “cap …………. punishment” does not exist in Britain but is still used in many states of the United States.

23.Many prisoners are entitled to apply for par……………….. after having served a certain number of years of their sentence.

24.If the par…………… board (committee) considers the prisoner is not a risk or danger to the community, he may be released “on par ………..”. He will have to report to a “par……….” officer who is usually a “prob ………… officer”.

# Exercise 2 Sentence Transformations

Rewrite each of the following sentences to mean the same as the sentence printed before it. Use the words given. Two EXAMPLES are given.

EXAMPLE: You will end up in trouble! Behave yourself!

If ……………………

ANSWER: If you don’t behave yourself you will end up in trouble!

EXAMPLE: Would you like me to call the police?

Shall ………………………………?

ANSWER: Shall I call the police?

1. My advice to you is to call the police.

I think you ……………………………………………………………………

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UNIT 4 – Crime and Social Relevance

2.The policeman told us to fit new locks on all our doors and windows. He suggested ………………………………………………………………….

3.The thief didn’t wear gloves so he left a lot of fingerprints.

If the thief ………………………………..……………………………………….

4. Thieves broke into our house when we were on holiday.

Our house ……………………………………………………………………..

5. Please come to the conference!

I’d be grateful ..…………………………………………………………………

6.No, Jerry definitely didn’t steal the jewels. I had the only keys with me. Jerry couldn’t ………………………………………………………………….

7.The police informed the reporters that the number of crimes had decreased. The reporters ………………………………….………………………………..

8.Recruiting more police would mean a fall in crime rates!

If we ……………………………………………………………………………

9. It was impossible for them to complete all the paperwork on time!

They ………………………..…………………………………………………..

10. If there is a road traffic accident causing injury the police are obliged to make a full report. The police ……………………………………………………………………….

¾ Activity 1

Before hearing about a case in England, read the following text and discuss the issues involved.

Race Trial Pricks Norway’s Conscience

Andew Osborn, The Guardian Weekly, January 2002

Norway, which fancied itself to be free of the xenophobia which infects other Nordic societies, has been forced to confront a less palatable reality. The verdict is expected this week in a trial of three neo-Nazis accused of stabbing a black teenager to death, simply because they did not like the colour of his skin. Prosecutors demanded the maximum sentence of 21 years for one man. 19 years and 4 months for another and a lesser sentence of two and a half years for a third defendant. It is Norway’s first recorded racially motivated murder.

The killing, which, in the words of the former Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, marked a “watershed’ in Norway’s history, happened in January 2001. Benjamin Hermansen, a 15 yearold boy of mixed Norwegian-Ghanaian extraction, was attacked only 500 metres from his home in an Oslo suburb. He died of multiple stabbing wounds and had received a severe kicking. Joe Erling Jahr, 20, one of the defendants had admitted stabbing “Benny”, but said he had “just wanted to give him a scratch” and that the death was an accident.

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But another of the defendants, Veronica Andreassen, 18, told the court that she, Jahr and a third accused, Ole Nicolae Kvisler, 22, went looking for “foreigners” in their car and she picked out Benny Hermansen as a perfect target.

POLICE ACTION UNDER SCRUTINY IN DAMILOLA TAYLOR TRIAL

Listen to the account of Damilola's Death. Complete the details in the box below:

–Mr Mark Parsons ……………………………..….. …..…………………………………………..….……..

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UNIT 4 – Crime and Social Relevance

What’s your opinion?

AGREE OR DISAGREE?

1.The crime had racist overtones.

2.The suspects were also victims of their environment.

3.The school should have taken the bullying of Damilola more seriously.

4.The police should have been more vigilant in such a high-risk area.

5.The local people should have been more aware of the need to protect their community.

6.The planning of such housing estates should be much more carefully done.

7.Such a murder emphasises the inherent racism in British society.

8.The fact that the family got an apartment from the Council shows the positive side of British society.

9.The family should have been more careful, knowing the risks of racist attacks in London.

10.The perpetrators should be kept in prison for life.

11.Public opinion will have been shocked by this murder.

12.The police will have a relatively easy task in finding the offenders.

¾ Activity 4

Consider the vocabulary items in the box. How many of these words would you consider to be absolutely essential “core vocabulary” for your own language progress?

VOCABULARY

1.bleak: miserable, unpleasant, unattractive

2.to taunt: provoke or attack a person with words; abuse verbally

3.drenching: making very wet

4.to stem: stop the flow of (blood)

5.to piece together : to put the pieces (of the incident) together

6.to be slashed: to be cut through very badly

7.to settle (down); to adjust to a different way of life or different environment

8.bulldozed: to be made flat by bulldozers

9.to swear at someone : to use vulgar or obscene language at someone

10.to call someone names: to abuse someone verbally

11.to take something seriously: to consider something to be serious

12.to bump into: to meet someone by chance

13.a black eye: the wound resulting from a blow or punch in the eye

14.to sift through: to examine very carefully

15.rubbish chute: rubbish disposal system in the apartment blocks

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¾ Activity 5

Now read the following text for more recent developments

POLICE ACTION UNDER SCRUTINY IN DAMILOLA TAYLOR TRIAL Astrid Zweynert, Reuter February 27 2002

Police have suffered another blow when a judge cleared a defendant on trial for the murder of Damilola Taylor and threw out the evidence of the prosecution’s main witness.

The judge criticised the police for breaking rules and offering inducements to their key witness, a 14 year-old schoolgirl, which had contributed to making her evidence unreliable.

The defence said officers gave the girl clothes and mobile phones and told her she was more likely to get a ₤50000 newspaper reward if she said she saw the killing, as police believe she did. Justice Anthony Hooper said there was “a very real danger” that detectives persuaded the girl to tell lies when they offered her the inducements to convince her to give evidence in court. “No part of the evidence which is adverse to any defendant can be relied upon,” Justice Hooper told the jury at London’s Old Bailey.

Even though the trial against the other three juvenile defendants continues, Wednesday’s ruling once again put the spotlight on police practices in high-profile cases.

A government report in 1999 lashed the Metropolitan Police for its bungled investigation into the murder of black teenager, Steven Lawrence, who was stabbed to death by a gang of white youths in 1993 as he waited at a bus stop. His killers have never been brought to justice. Both cases sparked soul-searching in Britain and led to calls for a crackdown on gang violence and thuggery.

Police chiefs say the force has worked hard to clean up its image, but the pressure to solve crime is acute as street crime in the capital rockets, with figures in January 2002 49% higher than a year before.

Cortenay Griffiths, QC, a defence lawyer in the Taylor case, told the court that police had “manufactured” the schoolgirl to become their “star” witness because they could not afford another unsolved murder like that in the Lawrence case.

Griffiths said criticism aimed at the police after the Lawrence enquiry had motivated officers to “break every rule in the book” in their handling of the schoolgirl, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The defence said officers had told the girl that she could help one of the defendants, who was her friend, by saying she saw the killing. According to the defence, she was also told that reward money offered by a newspaper would be “more guaranteed” if she said she had witnessed the murder.

Defence lawyers produced evidence that she and her mother had run up a ₤ 4100 hotel bill before the trial and that police had bought her clothes, mobile phones and had paid

₤ 1000 of telephone calls to her friends.

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UNIT 4 – Crime and Social Relevance

Police admitted to the hotel bills and to buying the girl clothes and giving her two mobile phones, but denied that this was meant to entice her into giving evidence at the trial.

# Exercise 3

Read the text and answer the questions: TRUE or FALSE or NOT CLEARLY STATED

1.The police offered rewards to the girl to give false evidence.

2.The judge stated that the police acted in a way that made the truth more difficult to identify.

3.Some of the main witness’s evidence may still be used in court.

4.Police inducements to the girl had included money payments to her and her mother.

5.The girl was related to one of the accused.

6.Police chiefs say that the image of the Metropolitan Police is not compromised as people are generally satisfied because of the falling crime rate.

7.Criticism of the police over their conduct in the Stephen Lawrence case has meant that police are under pressure to solve the Taylor case by any means.

8.The hotel bills involved friends staying with the girl.

9.The trial itself is now compromised and the case may be dismissed.

10.The police hope there will be a more successful outcome to this case than to the Lawrence case.

11.The girl has already been promised money by a newspaper for her story

12.One of the accused has been released as a result of the fact that her evidence is unreliable.

# Exercise 4

Find words from the text in the box which mean …

Inducements / blow / adverse / soul-searching / rockets / run-down

Ambushed / put the spotlight on / high-profile / bungled / lashed / entice / be relied on

A. a setback; a reversal ( suffer a …..)

B.to encourage someone by offering something; to tempt a person (Verb)

C.extremely important, especially for the media

D.attacked without any warning; (a surprise attack)

E.harmful to ; against a person

F.to focus carefully on something or somebody

G.increases rapidly

H.examination of people’s values, attitudes and priorities

I.criticised very severely

J.offers or rewards given to a person for information, help or support

K.in a very poor condition; neglected

L.badly handled or managed

M.to be counted on; to be believed

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The Temple Bombing – Atlanta, Georgia, October 1958

Material taken from Melissa Fay Greene’s “The Temple Bombing”, (1997), Vintage Press, Random House, London.

GROUP READING: Introduction

THE TEMPLE BOMBING

This activity relates to an incident in Atlanta, Georgia in October 1958. There are 4 different texts.

The class should be divided into students who read text A, who read text B, who read text C and those who read text D. Students should use dictionaries to deal with unknown words.

After reading ONE text and answering the questions, students should then form into groups of 4, with a combination of A, B, C, and D “text-readers”.

The 4 students should exchange and complete the information by means of SPOKEN reports about the part they had read.

In this way, all students should have knowledge about all aspects of the case without necessarily having read all 4 texts. This may be done at a later date, as a homework assignment or for self-study.

It was a widely respected police-force, an award-winning police force. Murders were solved, speeding autos were apprehended, drunks and transients were dealt with, order was maintained. In the 1950s, the secret of exposing wrongdoers lay not primarily in the retrieval of microscopic evidence from a crime scene (although the FBI was making rapid strides in matching bullets to gun types and Detective W.K. Perry solved a rape case in 1957 by matching pubic hairs and underwear fibres). The emphasis was on knowing about people’s characters – the ability to spot a “bad apple”, to recognise suspicious behaviour, to make out an alibi as “not holding water” and the ability to break a suspect under interrogation and pressure.

Good, upstanding moral character radiated from the topfrom Mayor Hartsfield and from Chief of Police Jenkins and from all the clean-cut, straight-arrow, square-shouldered police officers on the force – white and blackbecause the force had been integrated under Hartsfield and Jenkins since 1948.

Social deviants in the community stuck out like the proverbial “sore thumb”, especially in Atlanta. Here, the city’s civilized acknowledgment of the Supreme Court’s ruling on integration was being implemented at the highest levels. Elsewhere in the South, mayors, police chief, city councillors were cutting themselves loose from the rule of law. While long lines of social misfits followed their example. Community leaders ignored the federal courts and the directives from Washington – it was like opening the doors of the insane asylum! Klan-robed trash paraded through the streets, they bribed and accepted bribes from public officials and knew themselves to be untouchable. But in Atlanta, the names of the troublemakers were known, appeared on the police chief’s desk and the police patrols were instructed to drive slowly through certain areas looking for trouble.

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