Crime is a public wrong, committed with intent or (in a few cases) by negligence, for which the law provides punishment or recompense to society.
Generally, in order to be convicted of a crime, the accused must be shown to have committed an unlawful act (actus reus) with a criminal state of mind (mens rea).
The three classes of common law crimes are treason, felonies, and misdemeanors.
Treason against the United States, the only crime defined in the U.S. Constitution, is a comparatively rare charge.
The distinction between a felony and a misdemeanor is usually found within each state's criminal code. Felonies are more serious crimes, punishable by imprisonment. Murder (which can carry the death penalty in most states), arson, rape, armed robbery, and tax evasion are felonies. Misdemeanors are generally punishable only by fines or, at most, a brief stay in the local jail. Simple assault, disorderly conduct, and trespass are usually classified as misdemeanors. Certain minor offences, such as violations of city ordinances or traffic regulations, may not even be considered misdemeanors in some jurisdictions (i.e., they are too petty to be labeled as crimes, and are often called "infractions" or "violations").
Three other ways of categorizing crimes are these:
1 White-collar: nonviolent crimes, perpetrated by people in positions of trust, usually against businesses or governments.
Examples: embezzlement, mail fraud, bribery
2 Organized: crime by groups in the "business" of crime, such as the Mafia.
3 Victimless: crimes that are sometimes considered to have no specific victims (just society as a whole).
Examples: prostitution, gambling, tax evasion.
Crimes can also be classified according to whom or what they are committed against: a person, the general public, the home, other property.
The main types of crimes are:
1 crimes against the person: murder, manslaughter, assault, battery, kidnapping
2 crimes against property: theft, larceny, robbery, burglary, blackmail, motor vehicle theft, forgery, extortion
3 sexual offence: rape, bigamy, indecency
4 political offences: treason, terrorism, sedition, breach of the Official Secrets Act
5 offences against justice: assisting an offender, conspiracy, perjury, contempt of court, perverting the course of justice
6 public order offences: obstruction of the police, unlawful assembly, obsenity, possessing weapons, misuse of drugs, breach of the peace
7 road traffic offences: careless or reckless driving, driving without a licence or insurance.
Vocabulary
arson n поджог (злонамеренный)
assassination n вероломное / предательское убийство
assault n словесное оскорбление и угроза физическим насилием
assisting n содействие
bigamy n бигамия; двоебрачие; (of man) двоеженство; (of woman)
двоемужие
blackmail n шантаж
breach of peace n нарушение общественного порядка
bribery n взяточничество
burglary n грабёж, кража со взломом
conspiracy n сговор, заговор
contempt of court n оскорбление суда
crime rate n рост преступности
criminal code n уголовный кодекс
death penalty n смертная казнь
disorderly conduct n мелкое хулиганство
embezzlement n растрата; присвоение имущества
espionage n шпионаж
extortion n вымогательство
felony n уголовное преступление; фелония (категория тяжких преступлений, по степени опасности находящаяся между изменой и мисдиминором)
fine n штраф
forgery n 1 подлог документа; подделка; 2 поддельная подпись
fraud n обман, мошенничество; defraud v обмануть
gambling n азартные игры
imprisonment n 1 тюремное заключение; 2 лишение свободы
indecency n непристойное поведение
infraction n нарушение (права, обязанности) syn. violation
insurance n страховой полис
larceny n похищение имущества
libel n клевета (письменная); дезинформация
licence n лицензия; разрешение; driving licence водительские права
local jail n местная тюрьма (следственная и/или кратковременного заключения)
Mafia n мафия
mail fraud n обман с почтовыми переводами/ мошенничество с почтовыми документами
manslaughter n простое убийство
misdemeanor n мисдиминор; проступок (категория наименее опасных преступлений, граничащих с административными правонарушениями)
misuse of drugs n злоупотребление наркотиками
motor vehicle theft n угон средств передвижения
murder n тяжкое убийство (с заранее обдуманным злым умыслом)
negligence n небрежность; халатность
obscenity n непристойность; непристойное поведение
obstruction of the police n препятствование полиции
offence n англ. правонарушение (амер. offense); offender n правонарушитель, преступник
Official Secrets Act n Закон о нарушении государственной (служебной) тайны
ordinance n постановление муниципального органа (в США)
perpetrate v совершать; perpetrate a crime совершать преступление
perjury n лжесвидетельство
perverting the course of justice n извращение отправления правосудия
piracy n пиратство
recompense n 1 возмещение; компенсация; 2 возмездие; наказание
sedition n призыв к мятежу, подстрекательство к мятежу
slander n устное оскорбление; устная клевета
smuggling n контрабанда; провоз контрабандным путём
tax evasion n уклонение от уплаты налогов
theft n кража, воровство
treason n измена
trespass n нарушение владения; проступок; правонарушение
trust n доверие
violation n нарушение
Reading tasks
A Answer these questions.
1 What is a crime?
2 What are three classes of common law crimes?
3 What is the distinction between a felony and a misdemeanor?
4 How are felonies punished?
5 Name five felonies.
6 How are misdemeanors punished?
7 List some white-collar crimes. What are they?
8 What other classifications can you name?
9 Under what two general categories are crimes reported in the U.S.?
10 What does the property crime include?
11 Do you think crime is ever justifiable?
Language focus
Change the verbs in brackets using would + infinitive or the past tense
(Conditional II). Then prepare your answers to the questions.
Example: If he knew (know) her number, would he (send) her a fax?
What’s your Verdict?
1 If more criminals __________ (come) face to face with their victims and __________ (talk) to them, __________ they __________ (be) less likely to commit the same crime again?
2 If criminals __________ (meet) other criminals and __________ (take) part in group counselling sessions with a psychologist, __________ this __________ (have) a beneficial effect?
3 If people __________ (sentence) to life in prison for committing robbery or assault three times, __________ it (deter) other criminals?
4 If we __________ (use) electronic tagging on all criminals, __________ it (be) better for them to spend less time imprison and more time in the community?
Vocabulary tasks
A The box bellow gives the names of 28 crimes. The list gives the definitions of the same crimes. Match the crimes to their definitions. The first one has been done for you: the crime of assault is “acting in such a way as to make someone believe he or she will be hurt”.
| arson assassination |
| assault acting in such a way as to make someone believe he or she will be hurt | |
| ________ betraying your country to a foreign power | |
| ________ copying patented inventions or copyrighted works | |
| ________ entering a building illegally and stealing things | |
| ________ getting money from people by threatening to publicise facts they do not want revealed | |
| ________ taking control of a plane, usually for political reasons | |
| ________ getting money from people by using threats | |
| ________ getting property or money from people by making them believe untrue things | |
| ________ going through a ceremony of marriage when you are still married to someone else | |
| ________ taking somebody away and demanding money for their return | |
| ________ killing a public figure illegally and intentionally | |
| ________ killing someone illegally and intentionally | |
| ________ using violent action for political purposes | |
| ________ killing someone unintentionally or in mitigating circumstances | |
| ________ making an illegal copy of a banknote or document | |
| ________ offering money corruptly to get someone to do something to help you | |
| ________ saying something which damages someone's character | |
| ________ setting fire to a building | |
| ________ selling illegal substances, e.g. heroin | |
| ________ stealing something by using force or threatening to use force | |
| ________ stealing, taking property which belongs to someone else | |
| ________ taking goods illegally into or out of a country | |
| ________ telling lies when you have sworn an oath to say what is true in court | |
| ________ trying to find out secrets by illegal means | |
| ________ using illegally or stealing money which you are looking after for someone else | |
| ________ writing, publishing or broadcasting a statement which damages someone's character | |
| ________ having sex with a person against their will | |
| ________ damaging public property for no reason |
Extension. Work with a partner and test each other. One person turns the page over, while the other asks questions such as "What do you call the crime of acting in such a way as to make someone believe he or she will be hurt?" and "Define 'treason'."
B Match some definitions 1-28 to the crimes below.
| Crime | Criminal | Specific verb | Definition |
| assassination | assassin | assassinate | □ |
| blackmail | blackmailer | blackmail | □ |
| bribery | --- | bribe | □ |
| drug dealing | drug dealer | --- | □ |
| hijacking | hijacker | hijack | □ |
| kidnapping | kidnapper | kidnap | □ |
| murder | murderer | murder | □ |
| rape | rapist | rape | □ |
| smuggling | smuggler | smuggle | □ |
| terrorism | terrorist | --- | □ |
| theft | thief | steal | □ |
| vandalism | vandal | vandalize | □ |
| ! Words for people who steal are: thief (in general), | |||
| burglar (from a house), shoplifter (from a shop), | |||
| pickpocket (in the street), robber (from a bank, shop, etc.) |
C Below are ten statements by defendants. Read the statements and say what crime each one has been accused of.
| "I arrived home late and found that I'd forgotten my keys. I didn't want to wake my wife up, and I saw there was a ladder in the garden of the house next door. I got the ladder and climbed in. We've just moved house and I didn't realise I was in the wrong street..." | |
| "I was walking my dog when I saw the gun lying on the ground. I picked it up - it was still warm -and at that moment I saw the body lying in the long grass. I went across to look and it was my business partner. That's when the police arrived..." | |
| "I opened the bank account in a false name as a way to help my employer pay less tax- It's perfectly legal. I kept meaning to tell him, but somehow I just forgot. I bought the villa in France with my own money. It was an inheritance..." | |
| "OK, so there are 123 copies of the video. That's perfectly true, but I had no intention of selling them. I'm a collector." | |
| "Well this obviously isn't my suitcase. I've never seen these things before in my life. The monogram? Well, they are my initials, but that must be a coincidence. That's probably how the two cases got mixed up. After all, JA aren't very unusual initials. A photograph with me in it? My word, that's incredible! It must be someone who knows me..." | |
| "I didn't know my wife was still alive, I thought she'd died in a car accident. I couldn't believe it when I saw her walk into the room. Surely you don't think I married you just to get your money...?" | |
| "You misunderstand me. When I offered him the money I meant it as a gift. I know that life can be difficult for a young man on a police salary, especially if he has a family, young children etcetera. It isn't easy and I know that. I just wanted to help. I didn't expect him to do anything in return..." | |
| "After leaving the office I realised I'd forgotten my umbrella. I went back in to get it. When I went in I noticed that the photocopier was still turned on. It had been working very badly all day, and I decided to quickly see what was wrong with it before going home. I made a few test copies of documents that were in the office. I didn't even look at what I was copying. The machine seemed to be working much better. I put the copies in my briefcase – intending to use the other side as notepaper. I don't believe in wasting paper. At that moment Mr Sanders came out of his office..." | |
| "I painted them for pleasure. I had no intention of deceiving people. I never said they were by other people. Yes, I did include the signatures of other artists but that's because I wanted them to be perfect copies..." | |
| "Mr Wills sent me the money to help me in my business venture – I'm trying to start a design agency. He sent me cheques every month for $1200. A couple of times he sent extra when I had special expenses. It was always understood that he would participate in the profits of the business when it was running. We didn't write anything down, it was an oral agreement. The photographs I have of him with his secretary have no connection with these payments." |
Extension. Write a defence for another crime and show it to other students in your class. See if they can guess what crime you are thinking of.
D Number the sentences in a logical order.
a He was convicted and sent to prison. □
b The police investigated the case. □
c He didn't have an alibi. □
d Jim was arrested. □
e Jim committed a crime. □
f He went to court. □
g He didn't get away with the crime. □
h They found some clues. □
i He was accused of burglary. □
E Fill in the gaps; the first letter of each missing word is given.
Thieves have been around for centuries, probably for as long as humans, but armed r…… 1 …… is a more recent phenomenon. Unfortunately women have always been the v…… 2 …… of rape and domestic v…… 3 ……. F…… 4 ……. has been around ever since printing has been used to make money.
People or their children are sometimes k…… 5 …… and are not set free until a r…… 6 …… has been paid. The XX-th century saw the appearance of many organized c…… 7 …… such as hijacking and drug-smuggling or drug-trafficking. Statistics show an alarming r…… 8 ……. in the rate of violent crimes and crimes to do with the i…… 9 …… sale of arms across the world. Perhaps the most recent crime of all is hacking into computers to access i…… 10 …… that helps competitors in their business. This increase in international crime makes one wonder whether it's still true to say "C…… 11 …… doesn't pay."
F A person who commits a crime is a criminal.
Law Breakers
Match each word on the left with the appropriate definition on the right.
| an arsonist | a | attacks and robs people, often in the street | |
| a shoplifter | b | sets fire to property illegally | |
| a mugger | c | is anyone who breaks the law | |
| an offender | d | breaks into houses or other buildings to steal | |
| a vandal | e | steals from shops while acting as an ordinary customer | |
| a burglar | f | kills someone | |
| a murderer | g | deliberately causes damage to property | |
| a kidnapper | h | steals things from people's pockets in crowded places | |
| a pickpocket | i | gets secret information from another country | |
| an accomplice | j | buys and sells drugs illegally | |
| a drug dealer | k | takes away people by force and demands money for their return | |
| a spy | l | helps a criminal in a criminal act | |
| a terrorist | m | uses violence for political reasons | |
| an assassin | n | causes damage or disturbance in public places | |
| a hooligan | o | hides on a ship or plane to get a free journey | |
| a stowaway | p | takes control of a plane by force and makes the pilot change course | |
| a thief | q | murders for political reasons or a reward | |
| a hijacker | r | is someone who steals | |
| aforger | s | makes counterfeit (false) money or signatures | |
| a robber | t | is a member of a criminal group | |
| a smuggler | u | steals money, etc. by force from people or places (e.g. banks) | |
| a traitor | v | marries illegally, being married already | |
| a gangster | w | is a soldier who runs away from the army | |
| a deserter | x | brings goods into a country illegally without paying tax | |
| a bigamist | y | illegally carries drugs into another country | |
| drug smuggler | z | betrays his or her country to another state |
G Fill in the chart
| № | CRIME | CRIMINAL | ACTION | TRANSLATION |
| ARSON | ARSONIST | TO SET FIRE | поджог | |
| TO ASSAULT | ||||
| ASSASSIN | ||||
| шантаж (ировать) | ||||
| BURGLAR | ||||
| DESERTION | ||||
| EMBEZZLER | ||||
| TO FORGE | ||||
| мошенник (-чать) | ||||
| HACKING | ||||
| TO HIJACK | ||||
| KIDNAPPER | ||||
| MUGGING | ||||
| убийство | ||||
| PICKPOCKET | ||||
| TO POACH | ||||
| RAPE | ||||
| грабить (-ель) | ||||
| SHOPLIFTING | ||||
| TERRORIST | ||||
| предатель (-вать) | ||||
| VANDALISM |
H What kind of crime do the following criminals commit.
arsonist, assassin, deserter, embezzler, forger, fraudster, hooligan, mugger, pickpocket, poacher, racketeer, robber, shoplifter, smuggler, terrorist
I Give the name of the defined lawbreaker.
1 steals
2 gets money by threatening to disclose personal information
3 seizes airplanes
4 kills people
5 steals from houses or offices
6 steals from banks or trains
7 takes people hostage for a ransom
8 steals government secrets
9 willfully destroys property
10 marries illegally while being married already
J A mind map is a way of organizing vocabulary to show the connections between words. This mind map is based on the word 'theft'.
 housebreaking
|
to mug a person
 a mugger
a mugging
|
to hold up a place
 a hold up
|
 to rob a place/a person
a robber
a robbery
|
| theft |
to break in
 to break into a place
a break-in
breaking and entering
|
| kleptomania a kleptomaniac |
| shoplifting a soplifter |
| stolen property |
| to burgle a place a burglar a burglary |
| a thief |
 |
| to pick someone’s pocket a pickpocket |
| to steal a thing (stole/stolen) |
Exercise 1. Find words in the mind map which fit these definitions.
1 The past participle of the verb steal
2 A person who enters a house to steal things
3 To steal something from a person's pocket without him or her noticing
4 To stop a person on the street and using violence or threats to rob him or
her
5 Going into a building by force to steal things (one word)
6 A person who steals from a shop
7 A psychological compulsion to steal things
8 A person who commits an act of theft
9 To rob a place, usually by using guns or other weapons
10 Things obtained by robbery
Exercise 2. Design a mind map for one or more of the following:
• the stock exchange
• tax
• the courtroom
K Match the words from the box with the definitions below.
| drug smuggling hijacking pickpocketing | shoplifting kidnapping mugging | fraud arson theft |
1 they broke the window of his car and stole the radio;
2 they sold paintings that they knew weren't genuine masterpieces;
3 they illegally carried drugs into another country;
4 they held a pistol at the pilot's head and he had to do what they said;
5 they set fire to the hotel;
6 they took some things off the shelves and left the supermarket without
paying for them;
7 they took away the rich man's son and asked him for a lot of money;
8 they hit the man on the head as he was walking along the street, and
stole all
his money and credit cards;
9 they took her purse out of her handbag as she was standing on the
crowded platform waiting for the train.
L Look at this list of "crimes ". Try and rate each crime on a scale from 1 to 10. (1 is a minor misdemeanour, 10 is a very serious crime). They are in no order.
- driving in excess of the speed limit;
- common assault (e.g. a fight in a disco-club);
- drinking and driving;
- malicious wounding (e.g. stabbing someone in a fight);
- murdering a policeman during a robbery;
- murdering a child;
- causing death by dangerous driving;
- smoking marijuanna;
- selling drugs (such as heroin);
- stealing £1,000 from a bank, by fraud;
- stealing £1,000 worth of goods from someone's home;
- rape;
- grievous bodily harm (almost killing someone);
- shoplifting;
- stealing £1,000 from a bank, by threatening someone with a gun;
- possession of a gun without a licence;
- homicide.
Text E
Crime in Modern Society
Civilized societies have created various systems of defending an individual from violence. Unfortunately, crime rate is increasing practically all over the world. So, the police of any country should protect the citizens, their homes and property.
Some crimes, however, are considered more serious than others. For example, in the United States, those, who commit the crime of treasons are usually punished by life imprisonment or death.
Scholars and lawyers have tried to find out the reasons for crime. Some of them say that sometimes a person's greed, jealousy or frustration may lead to committing a crime.
Others believe that many crimes against a particular person are committed by the poor. These people can steal money or goods, and they are capable of injuring or killing their victims.
But if such offenders are caught by the police, they still have the right to be defended by a lawyer in court. As a rule, the police and investigators do their best to provide the court with meaningful evidence.
However, there are cases which only seem to be simple. For instance, sometimes it is pretty hard to deal with a car theft, especially if the suspect is young. He usually says that he just wanted to use the car for run, and then return it to its proper place.
In the United States, anyone accused of a crime has certain rights that are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. This document consists of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. For example, everyone has the right to a fair trial or he can keep silent without testifying against himself. Besides, under American law, a person is considered innocent unless he is proved guilty in court.
In modern society, every citizen should be aware of the legislation in force as well as of his or her right under the law.
Vocabulary
accused of a crime обвиняемый в преступлении
car theft n угон автомобиля
defend v защищать
fair trial n справедливый суд
frustration n 1 крушение (планов, надежд); 2 разочарование
greed n алчность, жадность
in force действующий (о правовой норме)
innocent adj невиновный
investigator n следователь
jealousy n ревность
meaningful adj содержательный
reasons for crime n причины (мотивы, основания) преступления
scholar n ученый
testify v свидетельствовать
violence n насилие
Reading tasks
A Answer these questions.
1 What are the functions of the police of any country?
2 What are the reasons for crimes?
3 Does everybody have the right to be defended by a lawyer in the court
irrespective of the kind of a crime?
4 What does the Bill of Rights guarantee anyone accused of a crime?
5 In your opinion why is crime rate practically increasing all over the world?
B Read the text below and answer the questions.
1 Have any famous robberies ever taken place in your country? What happened? What was stolen? Were the criminals caught?
2 You are going to read about a robbery which happened in London in 1987. Check the meaning of the words in the box.
|
3 Read the first part of the story only (Before the robbery) and answer the following questions.
a What did people use Security Deposits for?
b Who are the two men described? What problems did each man have?
c What was the relationship between the two men?
4 a) Work in pairs and imagine you are Latif and Viccei. What is your plan?
b) Read part two of the story (The robbery itself) and compare your plan to
the real crime.
5 a) Work in pairs again and imagine you are Latif and Viccei. Decide what
you will do to escape arrest. What do you think the police will do?
b) Read the rest of the story. Answer the following question:
• Did everyone do as you predicted?