- crime n (=an action that is against the law, such as stealing something, taking drugs, or deliberately hurting someone) The number of crimes reported to the police has increased.
commit a crime v (=do something that is a crime) We believe that the crime was committed around 7.30 p.m.
criminal adj James made around 100,000 pounds from his criminal activities.
- offence n (any action that can be punished by law) Tarrant is now in jail for various offences including rape. terrorist offence/criminal/punishable offence Driving when drunk is a criminal offence.
commit an offence v (= do something that is an offence) Bates is being tried for offences committed in the 1980s.
offender n (= someone who has broken the law and is being punished for doing this) The courts should impose tougher punishments on offenders. criminal offender
- punish v (= to do something unpleasant to someone because they have done something wrong, for example by putting them in prison, or making them do something that they do not want to do) The teacher punished up by making us do extra homework.
punishment n (=something that is done to someone in order to punish them) In cases of sheep-stealing, the usual punishment was hanging.
capital punishment (the death penalty) (= the system of punishing people by killing them) Some people are demanding the return of capital punishment for murder. Drug smugglers face the death penalty if they are caught. escape punishment; abolish capital punishment; punishable adj.
- on probation n (= the system of allowing certain law-breakers not to go to prison etc, if they behave well and report regularly to a probation officer) The young offender was put on probation for two years.
probation officer n (= a person whose job is to watch, advise, and help law- breakers who are on probation.
- fine n (= an amount of money that you are ordered to pay as a punishment) impose fine on
- imprison v (= to put in prison) imprisonment/life imprisonment n He was sentenced to life imprisonment (- for life, or a very long time)
- prison n (=a building where people are kept as a punishment for a crime) Conditions in the prison were appalling. juvenile prison; go to prison
- sentence n (= a punishment given by a judge in a court) prison sentence
- suspend v (=stop)
suspended sentence n (= a sentence (usually ‘jail time) that the judge allows the convicted person to avoid serving (usually if the person continues on good behaviour, completes community services, etc.)
- conviction n (= the act of convicting or being convicted of a crime) His conviction caused rioting in the streets. criminal conviction
- penalty n (=an official punishment for someone who breaks a law, rule, or legal agreement.) The penalty for treason was always death.
- youth custody n (= juvenile prison).
- murder n (= the crime of deliberately killing someone) He was convicted of murder and jailed for life.
- law and order n (= respect and obedience for the law in society) to establish/keep law and order.
- burglary n (= the crime of illegally entering a house, office etc and stealing things) commit a burglary
- violence n (= fighting, killing, and other violent behaviour) In some parts of the city, teachers have to deal with violence in the classroom. personal violence
- deterrent n (= something that is intended to stop people from wanting to do something)Prison is supposed to be a deterrent.
- penal n adj (= relating to the legal punishment of criminals, especially in prisons) the government’s penal policy; penal system (= how it runs prisons, punishes criminals, etc)
- debate over n (= a formal public discussion, for example in parliament or on television, in which two or more groups of people make speeches giving different opinions about a subject, and people vote on it afterwards) The law was passed, after a long and sometimes angry debate.
- rehabilitate v (to make a person able to live a healthy, useful, or active life again, especially after being ill or in prison, e.g. by training.) The social services do their best to rehabilitate criminals once they‘ve left prison. rehabilitation n
- defence n (= all the weapons, soldiers, systems, or activities that a country uses to protect itself from attack by an enemy) The amount spent on defence has risen by 10%.
Exercise 1. Find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian words and expressions.
Сесть в тюрьму, осуждение (признание виновным), насилие, исправление, (перевоспитание преступников), дебаты (дискуссия, обсуждение), кража со взломом, убийство, правопорядок, сдерживающее средство, наказание, смертная казнь, условное освобождение преступника на поруки, должностное лицо, осуществляющее надзор за условно осуждёнными, оборона, обеспечение правопорядка, заключение (в тюрьму), надзор, совершить проступок, преступление, признать виновным, штраф, тюремное заключение (тюремный срок), уголовный преступник, приостанавливать (откладывать; (временно) прекращать), избирательный участок, подчиняться, полицейские силы (полиция; полицейское подразделения), пенитенциарная система (система пенитенциарных, карательно-исправительных учреждений), общественная работа,
