Speaking

Task I. Answer the following questions.

1. What is the definition of crime in the English Criminal Law?

2. How does crime affect the society?

3. How are crimes classified?

4. What are the crimes against the person?

5. What types of crimes refer to the crimes against the property?

6. What types of crimes refer to the crimes against the state?

Task II. Interview your partner to find out his opinion on the crime problem. Use the questions suggested.

1. What generates crime?

2. What are the socio-economic generating factors?

3. What psychological causes can generate crime?

4. Do you think it’s possible to eliminate crime? If not, why?

Task III. Analyze the result of the interview according to the following points:

Causes of crime	Socio-economic causes	Medico-psychological causes
Poor living conditions Lack of money Unemployment Non satisfaction of material needs Non-satisfaction of emotional needs Disrupted families Influence of television and mass media

T ask IV. Speak about the concept of crime. Use the following diagram as a prompt.

Crime

Task V. Speak on the topic “The Types of Crimes”. Follow the plan.

1. The definition of a crime.

2. The classification of crimes.

3. The offences against the person:

1. kinds of homicide;

2. difference between murder and manslaughter;

3. malice aforethought.

4. The offences against the property.

5. Causes of crime.

6. Crime and society.

Case Study

Here are four crimes solved by Detective Shadow. What are the solutions?

Text 1

Shadow opened the door to Dr. Adam Apple’s office and looked around him. Dr. Appel’s head lay on his desk surrounded by a pool of blood. On the floor to his right lay a small handgun. There were powder burns on his right temple, indicating that he had been shot at close range. On his desk was a suicide note, and his right hand held the pen that had written it. Shadow recorded the time as 3.30 pm, and ascertained that death had occurred within the past hour. As Shadow was gathering cues, Dr. Apple’s wife burst into the office and screamed, “Good lord, my husband’s been shot!” She ran toward him, saw the note and cried, “Why would he want to kill himself?”

“This was no suicide” said Shadow. “This was clearly a case of murder”. How does he know?

Text 2

“I have the only key to the room containing the jewelry of my late aunt Maggy,” said Sid Crook. “Since her death a week ago, neither I nor anybody else has entered this room. I was quite pleased to hear all her jewelry was to be sold and the proceeds to go to charity,” continued Crook.

Shadow removed a huge plant whose broad leaves were turned towards the wall, partially covering the safe. While Crook was opening the combination lock, Shadow crossed the room to sit on the ledge of the large bay window. Crook opened the safe, and removed the bag of jewels. “I’m sure these jewels will fetch a fortune for charity,” said a smiling Sid Crook. “I’ll bet these jewels are either fake or there are a few missing,” replied Shadow. What made Shadow suspicious?

Text 3

Jim Cool waited until Ed Fry left the office of author Harry Queen. Cool slipped on a pair of gloves, took a hundgun from his desk, and crossed the hall to Queen’s office. As Queen looked up to see who was there, Cool took aim and shot. Cool dropped the gun on the floor, picked up the telephone on Queen’s desk and called the police. He then went back across the hall to his own office and hid the gloves. Shadow arrived moments later and Cool told his story. “I was working at my desk when I heard a shot. I ran to the hall and saw a man fitting the description of Ed Fry running from Queen’s office. I went to Queen’s office and found him lying on the floor dead. I immediately picked up the phone on Queen’s desk and called the police”.

Several hours later Shadow arrested Cool for murder. Why was he so easily caught?

Text 4

“Mr Grey?” inquired Shadow. “I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Your brother-in-law is dead and I have reason to believe he was murdered”.

“Oh no!” replied Grey. “I just saw Sam a couple of days ago. To tell you the truth though, I'm not surprised. Sam did have a big mouth and quite a few enemies. As a matter of fact both of my sisters' husbands and Sam had a big fight over a business deal that went wrong. Then there was a friend of my brother's who lent Sam a lot of money and never got it back. Another person is my wife's brother who just got out of jail. He accused Sam of framing him. He swore he would get even”. As Grey talked on about Sam's enemies. Shadow got out the handcuffs and arrested him on suspicion of murder. Why?