Criminal Justice in the USA. Classification of Crimes

(Part 1)

The Criminal justice system is concerned with protecting society from harm by preventing and prosecuting crimes. A crime is an act that is considered a wrong against society as a whole, as well as against the individual victim. Therefore, the state prosecutes a person who commits a criminal act. If the state is able to prove that a person is guilty of a crime, the government will punish her or him.

Depending on the degree of seriousness, crimes are classified as felonies or misdemeanors. Felonies are serious crimes punishable by death or by imprisonment. The Penal Code provides for four degrees of felony:

1. Capital offences, for which the maximum penalty is death.

2. First degree felonies, punishable by a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

3. Second degree felonies, punishable by a maximum of ten years' imprisonment.

4. Third degree felonies, punishable by a maximum of five years' imprisonment.

Under federal law misdemeanors are crimes punishable by a fine or by confinement for up to a year.

Most states distinguish between gross misdemeanors punishable by thirty days to a year in jail, and petty misdemeanors punishable by fewer than thirty days in jail. The least serious form of a crime is a violation punishable by a small fine and does not appear on the wrongdoer's criminal record.

Probation and community service are often imposed on those who commit misdemeanors, especially juveniles. Also, most states have decriminalized all but the most serious traffic offences.

 

Определите тематику текста, выбрав из предложенных вариантов 3 правильных, расположите их в последовательном порядке и переведите их.

This text …

· lists basic types of punishment for felonies and misdemeanors.

· is about all types of Law which area of concern is rights and duties between private individuals.

· is about degrees of murder.

· gives the legal definition of crime.

· lists and explains the six basic elements of any crime.

· classifies crimes as felonies and misdemeanors depending on their degree of seriousness.

Перепишите вопросы к тексту и письменно ответьте на них.

1. What punishments does the Penal Code provide for serious crimes?

2. What punishments does the federal law provide for misdemeanors?