Types of Crimes
- y added to colour adjectives 2.36 'yes/no'-questions 4.12-16 position of auxiliary, subject, and main verb 4.12 position of the auxiliary do 4.13 be or have as main verb 4.14 tag questions 4.15 rhetorical questions 4.40 reporting 'yes/no'-questions 7.32 yet used with comparatives and superlatives 2.165, 5.80 referring to an expected situation 5.78-79 used after adjuncts of duration with for 5.127 used to link clauses 8.140, 8.145 used to link adjectives 8.175 used to link adverbs 8.176 you 1.97-106 used to refer to people in general 10.13 your 1.192-207 yours 1.110-113 yourself 1.115-122, 3.27-32 yourselves 1.115-122, 3.27-32
CRIME Crime is a term that refers to many types of misconduct forbidden by law. The list of acts considered crimes is constantly changing. For example, people in the United States no longer are charged with witchcraft, though many were accused of that crime in colonial Massachusetts. Today, it is becoming a serious crime to pollute the air and water. In England during the 1700's, it was not a crime for people to steal money entrusted to their care by an employer. Today, this type of theft, called embezzlement, is a crime. From a legal standpoint, a crime is a violation of the criminal law. Such law deals with actions considered harmful to society. On the other hand, most harmful acts causing injury to another person are violations of the civil law. Some overlapping occurs in this classification. For example, murder and rape are committed against individuals, but the law considers them crimes because they threaten society. For this reason, a crime is regarded as an offense against the state. An act is viewed as a crime if enough evidence exists to make a police officer, a prosecutor, or a judge believe that a violation of criminal law has taken place. However, the law does not consider accused people to be criminals unless a judge or jury finds them guilty. Types of Crimes Crimes may be classified in various ways. For example, they sometimes are grouped according to the seriousness of the offense. For statistical purposes, many governments divide crimes into offenses against people, against property,and against public order or public morality. Some social scientists classify crimes according to the motives of the offenders. Such crimes might include economic crimes, political crimes,and crimes of passion. Other important kinds of crime include organized crime and whitecollar crime. Crimes are frequently classified according to their seriousness as felonies or misdemeanors. Generally, felonies are more serious than misdemeanors. Felonies are punishable by death, or by imprisonment for a year or more. A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine or by imprisonment for less than a year. The classification of crimes as felonies or misdemeanors is inexact. Not all courts draw the same distinction between felonies and misdemeanors. Crimes against people or property. Crimes against people include assault, kidnapping, murder, and sexual attacks. Such crimes usually bring severe punishment. Crimes against property include arson, motor vehicle theft, burglary, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, larceny,and vandalism. In most cases, these crimes carry lighter penalties than do crimes against people. Robbery is the crime most difficult to classify. The law generally considers robbery a crime against the person. Robbery involves taking property from a person by using force. Crimes against public order or morality include disorderly conduct, gambling, prostitution, public drunkenness,and vagrancy (having no permanent residence or visible means of support). These offenses generally involve lighter penalties than do crimes against people or property. Criminologists question whether some offenses against public order or morality should be considered crimes. Organized crime consists of large-scale activities by groups of gangsters or racketeers. Such groups are often called the crime syndicate or the underworld. Organized crime specializes in providing illegal goods and services. Its activities include gambling, prostitution, the illegal sale of drugs,and loan-sharking (lending money at extremely high rates of interest). Many of these activities are often called victimless crimes because both the buyer and the seller take part in them willingly. White-collar crime originally included only criminal acts committed by business and professional people while earning their living. The term referred to such crimes as stock market swindles and other kinds of fraud. Today, the term covers such acts as cheating in the payment of taxes – which may or may not be done in connection with one's business. It may apply to petty thefts by employees, as well as to million-dollar stock market swindles. It could also include a service station owner's charging for an automobile repair that was not made, or a physician's billing a patient for services that were not performed. The increasing use of computers has created new opportunities for white-collar crime. Computer crimes are difficult to detect but easy to accomplish once a criminal learns the code or password to activate the system. Thus, automatic bank tellers increase the possibility of fraud or theft. Computer access by bank employees creates additional opportunities for embezzlement. Political crime became an increasingly serious criminal activity during the late 1900's. It includes acts of terrorism against innocent people and assassinations of leading political figures throughout the world. Unlike many criminals who seek money or personal gain through crime, most terrorists and assassins commit crimes to show support for a political cause. Political crimes, such as airplane hijackings, assassinations, and the taking of hostages, have become more frequent. As a result, most governments have taken steps to guard against terrorists. For example, security at airports, embassies, and other potential targets has been increased, and specially trained law enforcement or military units have been formed. B Arrange the crimes mentioned in the text into the table:
Ex. 4 Study the list of crimes below and add the English terms to the table:
Ex. 5 Fill in the gaps in the sentences with the correct word denoting a crime: 1 The Minister sued the newspaper for ________ after it printed a story linking him to a well-known mafia boss. 2 The man was accused of ________ after it was found that the paintings he was offering for sale were copies of the original. 3 The young boys were found guilty of _________ after they were caught thieving from a newsagent’s. 4 The man, who set fire to a number of factories, was not suspected of ________ until police received a tip-off. 5 The charge of murder was reduced to _________ when it was proved that the killing had been accidental. 6 Anyone who goes onto that land without permission may be arrested for ________. 7 The woman was charged with ________ after she offered to pay the policeman a sum of money to overlook the offence. 8 In the seventeenth century a man called Guy Fawkes was executed for ________ after he took part in a plot to blow up the British Parliament building. 9 The bomb explosion was one of the worst acts of ________ Italy has experienced in recent years. 10 Stevens was imprisoned for a ₤60 000 ________ in which he sold holidays that did not really exist. 11 Two of ms Green’s employees lied to the judge to protect her. They were both convicted of ____. 12 That terrorist group was responsible for the ________ of a passenger plane earlier this year. 13 Two men who stole top secret documents were sentenced to life imprisonment for _________. 14 After the politically motivated killing of recent years, most leaders are afraid of _________. Ex. 6 Find the common elements and explain the difference between: 1. assassination/ murder/ manslaughter/ homicide 2. shoplifting/ burglary/ robbery/ theft/ larceny/ pickpocketing/ embezzlement 3. fraud/ forgery / perjury/ slander/ libel 4. taking of hostages/ kidnapping/ blackmail
º Ex. 7 You will hear a news bulletin about a mother and son who are both criminals. For questions 1-7, tick (ü) a box in the table below if a crime is mentioned in connection with that person. In some cases, more than one box will need to be ticked.
Ex. 8 Working in groups make a list of 10 crimes you consider to be the gravest and range them from 1 to 10, 1 being the gravest. What punishment should be inflicted on people who commit these crimes? Are there any ways to prevent these crimes?
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