Prison Reform Still LagsIn the world, Russia still occupies first place for the number of its citizens behind bars. According to Alexander Zubkov, deputy head of the prison department at the Justice Ministry, a planned amnesty conceived last summer is to be more comprehensive then the previous one in 1997, in which some 16,000 inmates were freed. The new amnesty, approved by State Duma over the summer, should ultimately free 100,000. So who are the prisoners to be amnestied? First they will be prisoners of the pension age and older – women 55 and above, men 60 and above. People with specific disabilities will also be freed. Women and children will luck out under this amnesty: First time offenders and people sentenced to 5 years or less will be freed. Pregnant women and women who have children younger then 18 will also be released. Perpetrators of so-called crimes of carelessness will be released, as will those who have already served a third of their sentence in labor camps. These amnestied prisoners have been trickling of the prisons for the last five months. In effect, all of these changes are the result of the Department of Correction’s departure from the Interior Ministry to the Justice Ministry. Having considered the complexity of the prison system’s problems and the protests of human right groups, this new agency has decided to take a more or less liberal track. But as Zubkov is quick to point out, the amnesty doesn’t make conditions any better for those left behind. In fact, prison are so overcrowded that the 100,000 to be freed are just a drop in the bucket. According to Zubkov, 50,000 new prisoners were added to the bursting system during the first half of 1999 alone. Because of this, the Department of Corrections has to deal with building more jails. But this is expensive. For now, the Ministry of Justice has undertaken to refit old military bases that have been decommissioned with military downsizing. The barracks will be re-equipped as cells. To get a clearer picture of prison life in Russia, we can take the example of Moscow’s Butyrska Prison. Built 200 years ago by Catherine the Great, the prison was meant to hold 2,500 inmates. At present, it is stuffed with 5,500. Cells meant for 20 hold 70. Tuberculosis and malnourishment are rife. [The Moscow Times] Discussion points: 1. Imprisonment problem in Russia. 2. Amnesty as a way to solve the problem.
Task V. Answer the following questions on the topic “Punishment”. 1. What is the purpose of punishment? 2. What are the types of punishment? 3. What is the minimum punishment? 4. Are fines used for criminal cases? 5. What is the maximum punishment? 6. What is the definition of a suspended sentence? 7. What is the definition of a probation? 8. What do we mean by community service? 9. What does corporal punishment mean? 10. What is the problem of capital punishment? 11. What are the arguments for capital punishment? 12. What are the arguments against capital punishment? 13. When was capital punishment abolished in Great Britain? 14. Is capital punishment abolished in Russia? 15. Do you believe that punishment can reform a criminal? 16. Do you believe that punishment is a deterrent?
Task VI. Speak on the topic “Punishment”. Follow the plan. 1. The purpose of punishment. 2. The types of punishment. 3. The problem of capital punishment.
Unit III. Jury service Objectives:
1.To talk about the jury system 2. To talk about qualification required for jury service. 3.To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the jury system.
|
