Text d Classification of Crimes

Crime is a public wrong, committed with intent or (in a few cases) by negligence, for which the law provides punishment or recompense to society.

Generally, in order to be convicted of a crime, the accused must be shown to have committed an unlawful act (actus reus) with a criminal state of mind (mens rea).

The three classes of common law crimes are treason, felonies, and misdemeanors.

Treason against the United States, the only crime defined in the U.S. Constitution, is a comparatively rare charge.

The distinction between a felony and a misdemeanor is usually found within each state's criminal code. Felonies are more serious crimes, punishable by imprisonment. Murder (which can carry the death penalty in most states), arson, rape, armed robbery, and tax evasion are felonies. Misdemeanors are generally punishable only by fines or, at most, a brief stay in the local jail. Simple assault, disorderly conduct, and trespass are usually classified as misdemeanors. Certain minor offences, such as violations of city ordinances or traffic regulations, may not even be considered misdemeanors in some jurisdictions (i.e., they are too petty to be labeled as crimes, and are often called "infractions" or "violations").

Three other ways of categorizing crimes are these:

1 White-collar: nonviolent crimes, perpetrated by people in positions of trust, usually against businesses or governments.

Examples: embezzlement, mail fraud, bribery

2. Organized: crime by groups in the "business" of crime, such as the Mafia.

3. Victimless: crimes that are sometimes considered to have no specific victims (just society as a whole).

Examples: prostitution, gambling, tax evasion.

Crimes can also be classified according to whom or what they are committed against: a person, the general public, the home, other property.

The main types of crimes are:

1 crimes against the person: murder, manslaughter, assault, battery, kidnapping

2 crimes against property: theft, larceny, robbery, burglary, blackmail, motor vehicle theft, forgery, extortion

3 sexual offence: rape, bigamy, indecency

4 political offences: treason, terrorism, sedition, breach of the Official Secrets Act

5 offences against justice: assisting an offender, conspiracy, perjury, contempt of court, perverting the course of justice

6 public order offences: obstruction of the police, unlawful assembly, obsenity, possessing weapons, misuse of drugs, breach of the peace

7 road traffic offences: careless or reckless driving, driving without a licence or insurance.

Vocabulary

arson n поджог (злонамеренный)

assassination n вероломное / предательское убийство

assault n словесное оскорбление и угроза физическим насилием

assisting n содействие

bigamy n бигамия; двоебрачие; (of man) двоеженство; (of woman)

двоемужие

blackmail n шантаж

breach of peace n нарушение общественного порядка

bribery n взяточничество

burglary n грабёж, кража со взломом

conspiracy n сговор, заговор

contempt of court n оскорбление суда

crime rate n рост преступности

criminal code n уголовный кодекс

death penalty n смертная казнь

disorderly conduct n мелкое хулиганство

embezzlement n растрата; присвоение имущества

espionage n шпионаж

extortion n вымогательство

felony n уголовное преступление; фелония (категория тяжких преступлений, по степени опасности находящаяся между изменой и мисдиминором)

fine n штраф

forgery n 1 подлог документа; подделка; 2 поддельная подпись

fraud n обман, мошенничество; defraud v обмануть

gambling n азартные игры

imprisonment n 1 тюремное заключение; 2 лишение свободы

indecency n непристойное поведение

infraction n нарушение (права, обязанности) syn. violation

insurance n страховой полис

larceny n похищение имущества

libel n клевета (письменная); дезинформация

licence n лицензия; разрешение; driving licence водительские права

local jail n местная тюрьма (следственная и/или кратковременного заключения)

Mafia n мафия

mail fraud n обман с почтовыми переводами/ мошенничество с почтовыми документами

manslaughter n простое убийство

misdemeanor n мисдиминор; проступок (категория наименее опасных преступлений, граничащих с административными правонарушениями)

misuse of drugs n злоупотребление наркотиками

motor vehicle theft n угон средств передвижения

murder n тяжкое убийство (с заранее обдуманным злым умыслом)

negligence n небрежность; халатность

obscenity n непристойность; непристойное поведение

obstruction of the police n препятствование полиции

offence n англ. правонарушение (амер. offense); offender n правонарушитель, преступник

Official Secrets Act n Закон о нарушении государственной (служебной) тайны

ordinance n постановление муниципального органа (в США)

perpetrate v совершать; perpetrate a crime совершать преступление

perjury n лжесвидетельство

perverting the course of justice n извращение отправления правосудия

piracy n пиратство

recompense n 1 возмещение; компенсация; 2 возмездие; наказание

sedition n призыв к мятежу, подстрекательство к мятежу

slander n устное оскорбление; устная клевета

smuggling n контрабанда; провоз контрабандным путём

tax evasion n уклонение от уплаты налогов

theft n кража, воровство

treason n измена

trespass n нарушение владения; проступок; правонарушение

trust n доверие

violation n нарушение

Reading tasks

A Answer these questions.

1. What is a crime?

2. What are three classes of common law crimes?

3. What is the distinction between a felony and a misdemeanor?

4. How are felonies punished?

5. Name five felonies.

6. How are misdemeanors punished?

7. List some white-collar crimes. What are they?

8. What other classifications can you name?

9. Under what two general categories are crimes reported in the U.S.?

10. What does the property crime include?

11. Do you think crime is ever justifiable?

Language focus

Change the verbs in brackets using would + infinitive or the past tense

(Conditional II). Then prepare your answers to the questions.

Example: If he knew (know) her number, would he (send) her a fax?