Module 4. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Introduction .............................................................................................................................		2
uNIT 1. LAW ....................................................................................................................................		4
	1.1.   LAW AND SOCIETY .............................................................................................................	4
	1.2.  CRIMES AND CRIMINALS ........................................................................................................	5
	1.3.  classification of crimes ................................................................................................	7
	1.4.  crime ...........................................................................................................................................	9
	1.5.  law and order ......................................................................................................................	10
	1.6.  the language of law .........................................................................................................	12
	1.7.   crime and punishment ................................................................................................	14
	1.8.  authorities: customs and police ................................................................................	17
	1.9.  laws and punishments ......................................................................................................	19
	1.10.  the law in britain .............................................................................................................	21
	1.11. REVISION ........................................................................................................................................	22
unit 2. criminal procedure ..............................................................................................		23
	2.1.   arrest, trial, punishment .........................................................................................	23
	2.2.  crime-solving techniques .............................................................................................	26
	2.3.   crime and criminal procedure ..............................................................................	26
	2.4.  why do people commit crime? ......................................................................................	29
	2.5.   the system of justice ..................................................................................................	30
	2.6.  controlling crime .............................................................................................................	33
	2.7.   the proceedings at the trial .................................................................................	34
	2.8.   the legal profession ...................................................................................................	37
	2.9. REVISION ..........................................................................................................................................	41
unit 3. ethical questions of law ..................................................................................		42
	3.1.   capital punishment: for and against ................................................................	42
	3.2.  death penalty ......................................................................................................................	46
	3.3. revision	47
Unit 4. CHECK YOURSELF ........................................................................................................		48
Appendix 25. Crime in Newspapers ....................................................................................................................		50
Appendix 26. Criminal English ...........................................................................................................................		53
Appendix 27. Law and Order – The British Police .............................................................................................		54

Module 4. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Men fight for freedom, then they begin to accumulate laws to take it away from themselves.

Author Unknown

Introduction

T ask 1. Discuss the following questions with your group. The words and expressions below may help you.

• Is crime a topical issue nowadays? Elaborate.

• What are the most common crimes of today? What are the prerequisites for committing such crimes?

• Have there appeared any new types of crimes if compared with a couple of centuries ago? What prompted their appearance?

• Why do people commit crimes? Do you know any theories of crime?

• How are criminals punished? What punishments are most effective, in your opinion?

to accuse smb of smth — обвинять

accused — обвиняемый

arson — поджог

arsonist — поджигатель

assault — нападение

to blackmail — шантажировать (тж. сущ. "шантаж")

to break/violate a law — нарушать закон

burglary — кража со взломом

charge — обвинение

to charge smb with smth — обвинять в ч.-л.

to confess to smth — признаваться в ч.-л.

confession — признание

court — суд

courtroom — зал заседания суда

to commit a crime — совершить прес­тупление

criminal — преступник

defendant — подзащитный

defense — защита (сторона в суде)

to detain/hold a person — задержать человека

drug-trafficking — торговля наркотиками

evidence/testimony — свидетельские показания

fine — штраф (тж. гл. "штрафовать")

fraud — мошенник

to defraud — обманывать

guilty — виновный

to plead guilty — чистосердечно приз­наться

to hijack — угонять (транспортное средство)

hijacker — угонщик

innocent — невиновный

to interview/interrogate/question — допрашивать

investigation — расследование

jury — суд присяжных

to keep in custody — содержать под стражей

to kidnap — похищать людей

kidnapper — похититель

to mug — грабить в общественных местах

murder — убийство (тж. гл. "убивать")

murderer — убийца

offence — правонарушение

to offend — совершать правонарушение

prosecution — обвинение (сторона в суде)

to punish — наказывать

punishment — наказание

ransom — выкуп

to rob — грабить

robber — грабитель

robbery — ограбление

shoplifting — мелкая кража из мага­зина

to suspect — подозревать

suspicion — подозрение

thief — вор

theft — кража

to steal — красть

to threaten — угрожать

trial — суд, судебное разбирательство

to put on trial/to try — судить

vandalism — нанесение ущерба обще­ственной собственности

verdict — приговор

victim — жертва

violence — насилие

violent — насильственный

witness — свидетель

Task 2. Comment on the quotation that precedes the introduction. Can you agree that laws limit rights and freedoms of individuals?

Unit 1. LAW

  READING&SPEAKING

1.1. Law and society

Task 1. Read the text and turn to the tasks below.

Law and society

No one knows why crime occurs. There are plenty of theories on this subject. The oldest theory says that people commit crimes deliberately, that the devil or other evil spirits make them do it. Another theory says that criminals were not brought up properly by their parents. In the 19th cen­tury crime was thought to be the re­sult of poor living conditions: people unable to support their families in a legal way are driven to theft, burglary, prostitution and other offences, ac­cording to this theory. Nowadays' the­ories say that crime is caused by differ­ent factors — biological, psychological, cultural, economic and political.

It was long ago when people decid­ed to make laws for themselves in self-protection. We know nothing about laws which existed before the invention of writing in about 3500 B.C. The earliest known legal text was written by Ur-Nammu, a king of the Mesopotamian city of Ur, in about 2100 B.C. One of the most detailed ancient legal codes was written in about 1758 B.C. by Ham­murabi. 282 paragraphs of this code were carved into a great stone pillar.

It's not difficult to understand that law is necessary not just because there are a lot of bad people in the world. Even if we were all good the law would still be necessary. We need cer­tain rules of behavior. How would you drive a car if there were no traf­fic rules? A lot of good people could be killed in car accidents. Or what would you do if you went to a green­grocer, bought some potatoes and found on your return home that they were mould or even some of them were stones? What could you do if there were no laws on the subject? In the absence of law you could only rely on the law of the jungle. You could go back to the shop, demand proper potatoes and hit the shopkeeper on the nose if he refused to give them to you.

Every country tries to provide laws which will help people to live safely. This is not an easy thing to do. Laws are made by people, and people are not perfect creatures, they tend to make mistakes. That's why there are no per­fect laws, but even those which exist are still better than nothing at all.

Task 2. Answer the questions on the text.

1. What are the theories of crime?

2. What are the earliest known legal texts? When did they appear?

3. Why is law necessary?

4. Why are laws imperfect?

Task 3. Find in the text English equivalents for the following:

самозащита

быть не в состоянии

воспитывать

закон джунглей

полагаться на к.-л./ч.-л.

условия жизни

отсутствие закона

совершать преступление

содержать семью

правовой текст

преступник

правила поведения

требовать

совершать ошибки

кража

ограбление

создавать закон

правила дорожного движения

Task 4. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate translated expressions from Task 3.

1. He always carries a gun along with him in ____________________.

2. He works hard because he has to ____________________.

3. She doesn't ____________________ her husband and ____________________ her children without his help.

4. The ____________________ was arrested yesterday.

5. If you ____________________, you'll be arrested.

6. If you break ____________________, you'll be fined.

7. He was ____________________ to go as he had drunk a lot.

 VOCABULARY PRACTICE