III. RUSSIA

 

Texts

Text 1.

Ex. 1. Read the text “Law Enforcement System” and be ready to compare it with one in the USA and Great Britain.

 

Vocabulary

1. obey, v – подчиняться, повиноваться

2. be aware of, v – знать, сознавать

3. ignorance, n – неведение

4. harsh, adj. – грубый, резкий

5. in virtue of – в силу (чего-либо)

6. commerce, v – начинать

7. summon, v – вызывать

8. detain, v – задерживать

9. fulfil, v – выполнять

 

Law Enforcement System

 

1 The state has many ways of making sure that citizens obey the law. It makes the public aware of what the law is and tries to encourage social sup­port for law and order. It uses militia to investigate crimes and catch crimi­nals. It authorizes courts to complete the investigation of criminal and civil offences and to pass sentences to punish the guilty and deter others. And it makes efforts to re-educate and reform people who have broken the law.

2 Ignorance of the law is almost never a defence for breaking it. Govern­ments usually expect citizens to be aware of the laws which affect their lives. Sometimes this seems very harsh, for example, when the law is very techni­cal. However, there are many laws, such as those prohibiting theft, assault and dangerous driving, which simply reflect social and moral attitudes to everyday behaviour. In such cases a person knows he is breaking the law, even if he doesn't know exactly which law it is.

3 So, the state combats a crime through the courts, the Prosecutor's Of­fice, investigating authorities, state security bodies, militia and other law enforcement agencies. They have to perform a series of acts to establish the fact of the crime, discover the offender and determine the penalty to be imposed in vertue of law.

4 After receiving information that a crime has been committed, the in­vestigator, for instance, commences the preliminary investigation: he in­spects the scene of the crime, summons and questions witnesses, detains sus­pects, etc. During the investigation of a criminal case, he has the right to demand that citizens should take part in examinations and searches, and testify on the facts known to them; and that persons in office make avail­able certificates, documents etc. The militia, the investigator, the prosecu­tor and the court may make such demands only within the power vested in them by law.

5 The main objectives of the militia have always been to protect state and personal property, to maintain public law and order, to safeguard the rights and interests of citizens. To fulfil these functions properly the Internal Affairs bodies compose several departments. The Criminal Detection De­partment is to detect the criminal, that is to locate and arrest him (her). The Criminal Investigation Department collects evidence to prove the guilt or innocence of a suspect. The Economic Crimes Department reveals the eco­nomic offences. The mission of the State Inspection of Road Traffic Security is to regulate safety in the roads. The Juvenile Inspection is responsible for prevention of juvenile delinquency.