A1 SEMINAR 7 Crime and Punishment Some Thoughts on Crime 1 “The major dangers of crime in modern societies are not the crimes, but that the fight against them may lead societies towards totalitarian developments.” – Nils Christie (b.1928), Norwegian criminologist. 2 The prison industry is said to employ more than 523,000 people, making it the largest employer in the U.S. after General Motors, according to one 1999 report. 3 Imprisonment is a process whereby a large number of unemployed are made invisible. American unemployment statistics appear to be low compared to those of other industrial democracies because 1.6 million mainly lowskilled workers are imprisoned, with a 2% difference in real unemployment levels. 4 “Obviously crime pays, or there would be no crime.” – Gordon Liddy (b.1930), American radio talk-show host. 5 “Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master.” – Sallust (86-34 BC), Roman historian. 6 “Drugs – if they did not exist, our governors would have invented them in order to prohibit them and so make much of the population vulnerable to arrest, imprisonment, seizure of property, and so on.” – Gore Vidal (b.1925), American author of The War at Home. 7 “If we make enough laws, we can all be criminals.” – Anonymous. 8 “Our current* prison state has the dual effect of getting rid of extra people (unskilled workers – this is related to race), and demonizing them. The drug war is basically for this - it has nothing to do with drugs, but much to do with criminalizing an unwanted population and scaring everybody else.” – Noam Chomsky (b.1928), American linguist and cultural critic. Task 1 – Vocabulary matching Match the following words from the above texts with their equivalents; then choose a quote for discussion. 1. scare a) not working 2. invisible b) make something/someone into a crime/criminal 3. unemployed c) leader 4. obviously d) make something appear evil (bad) 5. liberty e) can’t be seen 6. just f) frighten 7. governor g) evidently, clearly 8. prohibit h) open to attack 9. vulnerable i) freedom 10. seizure j) double 11. current k) fair 12. dual l) remove 13. get rid of m) taking something 14. demonize n) relating to the present 15. criminalize o) ban, not allow Discussion questions 1 Do you think that crime has increased in your lifetime? How safe do you feel in your town? 2 Has the representation of crime on television or in the news increased? 4 What is a “police state”? 6 Is it sociologically important how people are punished for crimes and how prisoners are treated? 7 Do you think that crime can be profitable? How? 8 What problems can arise with private prisons or private police forces? Task 2 – Reading and Summarizing – Work with a partner to write a simple summary of one of the paragraphs. Use your own words and be prepared to read it to the class. Prisons as Big Business 1 "Crime Does Not Pay" is a slogan we have often repeated, but which today is in doubt^14. Crime does indeed pay! Some corporations are taking advantage of what is being called by Norwegian criminologist Nils Christie the "corrections industrial complex", an industry which since the mid 1980s has become an economic giant. It includes the construction, maintenance, and operation of private prisons. There is a basic problem with an industry which is economically interested in the continuation of a negative aspect of society. Dr. Christie explains, "You get private lobbying^15 for prisons and you get private capital interested in building more prisons, in expanding that system. The industry has no interest in its own abolition^16." 2 With a prison population of over 1.8 million in the U.S., which has doubled within the last ten years, there will be a need for more room. Existing prisons are overfull and filled with the product of the “war on drugs”. Non-violent drug offenders^12 are the largest and fastest growing section of the prison population. "Three Strikes and You're Out" laws serve neither society nor the offender^12. Such "band aid" approaches^17 have not been useful, except for creating corporate profits. Crime-industry lobbyists^15 want tougher and longer punishment, even though the crime rate has actually decreased and is below what it was 25 years ago. 3 Not only do those financing private prisons have an interest in “the bottom line”^18, but often the guard does as well. Many private prisons offer employees stock ownership^19 as opposed to guaranteed pensions, a money-saving plan that encourages guards to lengthen prisoner stays at every opportunity, while saving on such things as food, medical services, and rehabilitative activities. 4 Another issue in this industry is prisoner labor. If private prisons can use prisoner labor, then the investment comes full circle. Not only are they paid to house inmates for the state, but they have a labor force which needs no benefits, has no lobbying^15 power, and cannot strike^20 for higher wages or better working conditions. Critics are concerned with prison labor undercutting^21 outside wages or removing jobs from the private sector. There is also the fear of poor health and safety standards. Is such prisoner labor a way to rehabilitate them and decrease the amount paid by taxpayers, or is it exploitation^22 of a particular class of society? 5 There is a tendency to deprive^23 individuals of their liberty for purely economic reasons as the "prison industrial complex" (like any other) desires to expand. The only possible way for the industry to do this is for it to maintain high rates of imprisonment, while providing the least number of services (that cut into profits). This could lead to the privatizing of the justice system by the influence of the industry's lobbying power for longer, tougher, and stricter punishment. 6 The focus must be shifted away from profits made by a few individuals and financial interests, and redirected towards building a system that takes from the best of both public and private sectors. The goal is a system which is cost-effective, serves society, and produces what prison systems are designed for: a rehabilitated^24 prisoner. It is not an unachievable goal; America has done as much with greater problems. It is already proven that prisoner labor and prison privatization creates huge amounts of money. This money should benefit the taxpayers, and it should, in part, be for the funding of the justice system, including defender^25 expenses, prison construction, operation and maintenance, and crime prevention and prisoner rehabilitation^24. Truly looking for answers to stopping crime is the only way that the industry will benefit society in a responsible way. Adapted from Prisons as Big Business by Lawson Strickland, Biddle Publishing, 1998; found at: http://www.lairdcarlson.com/celldoor/Bio_Address/StricPrisonBigBusiness.htm viewed on 22.11.2002. Task 3 – Vocabulary Match each person in the list with the description given Blackmailer Forger Hooligan Murderer Shoplifter Vandal Burglar Hijacker Kidnapper Pickpocket Smuggler Witness 1. This person takes control of a means of transport by force. 2. This person sees what happens during a crime or accident. 3. This person brings goods into the country illegally. 4. This person might steal food from a supermarket. 5. This person kills someone on purpose. 6. This person takes people and demands money for their return. 7. This person makes illegal copies of paintings, documents etc. 8. This person damages other people´s property. 9. This person might steal your wallet in a crowd. 10. This person steals from houses. 11. This person gets money from others by threatening to tell secrets. 12. This person causes trouble at football matches. Task 4 – Reading Comprehension Bolivia Brings End to Bizarre Tourist Attraction It used to be one of South America´s most talked about tourist attractions. Famous for being unique in the world, San Pedro in La Paz, Bolivia, was a prison like no other. Foreign tourists would pay bribes to enter, look, shop, dine and even take drugs. Many thought it better value than the Inca citadel Machu Picchu. Not anymore. A Bolivian government crackdown has stopped tourists from entering the prison, replaced corrupt guards and challenged the bizarre practices which had made the prison infamous. Most likely, San Pedro´s unique days are over. “ This was a very original prison, very different from the others,” said Juan Gonzalez, 39, a convicted thief, sitting on a bed in his cell. “It was like a little village. It wasn´t so bad. Now all that´s at risk. Out in the main courtyard other inmates stood together in small groups, nervous and resentful. They used to run mini-restaurants and craft stalls but now, with the tourist ban, business has collapsed. Outside the prison disappointed tourists regretted that they had come too late. Guards in green uniforms tried to send them away but still they lingered. “What a bummer. This was one of Bolivia´s main attractions,” said a British couple, Matt and Linda. “Well, at least let´s take a picture at the gate.” San Pedro´s fame is set to reach a wider audience with a new film produced by Brad Pitt and starring Don Cheadle. Based on the book Marching Powder, about the four years a British drug mule, Thomas McFadden, spent in the prison, it describes how tourists paid for tours, overnight stays and cocaine-fuelled parties. After years of ignoring what was happening the authorities were forced to act after tourists uploaded a video of a visit on YouTube in February. Local TV picked up on the story and interviewed foreigners leaving the jail. Embarrassed, the government vowed to change San Pedro. “The most alarming thing was the tourists,” said Jorge Lopez, head of the prison service. “We are now constantly rotating the guards so they do not develop a close relationship with inmates so we can stop corruption.” In addition to keeping tourists away the authorities have banned other things that were going on in San Pedro such as inmates renting, buying and selling their own cells. Office workers can no longer pop in for a cheap lunch in restaurants which could undercut outside rivals as they didn´t have to pay taxes or utility bills. What most upsets inmates is a threat to expel their families. Hundreds of wives and children voluntarily live in the prison – with freedom to come and go during the day – due to a lack of accommodation and jobs in the impoverished city. “We are very happy here. We have work, we have a home. Outside there is nothing,” said Laura Gonzalez, wife of the convicted thief Juan. She cooks in a restaurant and her husband, who is in prison for three years, works as an amateur dentist. They share their cell, cluttered with clothes and DVDs, with two children and a cat, Felix. Latin American prisons tend to be overcrowded, grim and violent. Riots and beheadings are common. San Pedro, which is divided into eight sections, is dangerous at night but relatively safe in the day. “Having women and children here helps keep the men calm,” said one guard. Cocaine, crack and marijuana are still openly consumed but the cocaine-processing laboratories have reportedly closed. It is uncertain what will happen to San Pedro´s businesses – hairdressers, grocery shops, pool halls. The prison governor, Jose Cabrera, recently said, ”The prisoners have to understand that this is a penitentiary.” Adapted from www.onestopenglish.com viewed on 7.6.2010 Are the sentences true (T) or false (F) according to the article? 1. The prison is in the capital city of Bolivia. 2. It is a ´secret´ but often talked about tourist attraction. 3. Brad Pitt is going to star in a film about the prison. 4. The Bolivian authorities have tried to stop tourists going to the prison by putting a video up on YouTube. 5. Prisoners´ families and pets are allowed to live with them in the prison. 6. Office workers have opened a restaurant in the prison. 7. La Paz is the richest city in South America. 8. Latin American prisons are often violent places. 9. The presence of women and children make the prison a less violent place. 10. The prison is now free from drugs. Write in the missing prepositions 1. South America´s most talked …… tourist attractions 2. very different …… the others 3. stopped tourists …… entering the prison 4. all that´s ……. risk 5. take a picture …… the gate 6. a new film produced ……. Brad Pitt 7. head ……. the prison service 8. wives and children voluntarily live …… the prison 9. a lack …… accommodation and jobs 10. wife ……. the convicted thief Juan 11. her husband works …… a dentist 12. they share their cell …… two children and a cat Task 5 – Work in pairs Discuss what, if any punishment you think would be appropriate for the following people 1. Three children aged ten, eleven and twelve who deliberately damaged a railway line. As a result, a train came off the line and several people were injured. 2. A single unemployed parent with four children who stole 500 CZK worth of food from a supermarket. 3. A successful businessman who was found to have deliberately not paid 600,000 CZK a year in taxes over the last five years. 4. An animal rights activist who put a bomb in a university laboratory which experiments on animals. The laboratory was destroyed, but no animals or people were hurt. 5. A doctor who had been working for thirty hours without a break and gave the wrong drugs to a patient. As a result the patient died. Adapted from First Cerificate Gold, Sally Burgess with Richard Acklam, Longman, 2001 Task 6 – Listening You are going to hear a conversation between a husband and wife. Listen and decide if the following statements are true or false. 1. Guardian Angels began in America and have since come to Britain. 2. Only a few of them are paid or carry guns. 3. In Britain they will work patrolling the streets. 4. There is a 3-month period in which they are taught different skills. 5. They sometimes ask the police for help. 6. The official police view about the Guardian Angels is quite negative. 7. The view of the police on the streets is quite positive. The man and woman having the conversation basically have the same view about the Guardian Angels. Discuss the following statements. a. The Guardian Angels are a useful and necessary idea. Citizens should take more responsibility for preventing crime. b. There shouldn´t be a need for groups like the Guardian Angels. c. The Guardian Angels are a dangerous idea. Keeping law and order must be left to the police. Adapted from First Cerificate Gold, Sally Burgess with Richard Acklam, Longman, 2001 Task 7 – Grammar Exercise – Probability and Possibility Look at the following activity and choose either if or when, according to the context (sometimes you can use both). Try to decide what the difference in meaning of each statement is. 1. If / when I get home tonight, I’ll cook dinner. 2. If / when I was a child, I once stole some candy. 3. If / when I win the lottery, I’ll buy you a coffee. 4. If / when I reach the age of 60, I’ll retire and move to Costa Rica. 5. If / when I don’t see you, have a nice journey. 6. If / when I get out of prison, I’m going to go to college. 7. If/when you put ice in a glass of hot water, it melts. 8. If/When it rains this afternoon, I´ll stay at home. 9. If/When I get old, I´ll probably have grey hair. Task 8 - Grammar Exercise – Relative pronouns Look at the following sentence. A high proportion of people who Victim Support contacted were helped with at least one problem. Victim Support is the subject of the sentence. A high proportion of people is the object. What does the relative pronoun refer to – to the subject or the object? Note that a relative pronoun is not necessary if it refers to the object of the sentence. Complete each of the spaces below with an appropriate relative pronoun. Choose from that/which/who/whose/none needed. Some will have more than one possibility. 1 The treatment ……………. victims receive from the police varies from area to area. 2 Some people ……………… are burgled find it no more than an irritating inconvenience. 3 Unfortunately, people ……………. have been burgled once are statistically more likely to be burgled again. 4 Face to face contact was the method ……………. most people found helpful. 5 Burglars usually sell the things …………… they stole quite quickly. 6 If you make an insurance claim, you will need the crime reference number ………….. the police give you. 7 All volunteers …………… work with victims have been specially selected and trained. 8 Convicted burglars are sometimes asked to apologize personally to the people ………….. possessions they stole. 9 Volunteers are people ………… work free of charge because they think the work is important. Task 9 - Grammar Exercise - Relative pronouns Rewrite this passage adding the relative clauses to make it clearer. The first one has been done for you. who has already been convicted of burglary which are reported who commit burglary which people commit who are burgled Burglary is one of the most common crimes which people commit. Some figures show that up to one in six crimes is a burglary. Therefore, many people will be burgled at some point in their life. Some of those will find it devastating, even if none of their possessions are actually taken. People should realize the effect they may have on someone else’s life. In my opinion, if someone offends again, they should receive a stiffer sentence. Tasks 7 and 8 adapted from: Roberts, Rachael, Joanne Gakonga, and Andrew Preshous. IELTS Foundation Student's Book. Oxford: Macmillan, 2004. Vocabulary 1. per capita na jednu osobu 2. *estimate; to estimate odhad; odhadovat 3. *to fail to pay fines neplatit pokuty 4. an arrest, to arrest zatčení, zatknout 5. *offence přestupek 6. disorderly conduct výtržnické chování 7. curfew zákaz vycházení 8. loitering potulování se 9. runaway uprchlík, utečenec 10. vagrancy tuláctví (bezdomovci) 11. probation; parole podmíněné prominutí trestu; zkušební lhůta 12. offender pachatel přestupků 13. *to be in doubt být na pochybách 14. *lobbying; lobbyist vykonávání nátlaku, intervenovat; lobb(y)ista 15. *abolition zrušení 16. “band-aid” approach povrchní přístup k řešení problému 17. “the bottom line” základní, rozhodující (finance) 18. stock ownership vlastnictví akcií 19. *to strike stávkovat 20. to undercut podbízet, pracovat za nižší plat 21. *exploitation vykořisťování 22. *to deprive someone of their liberty zbavit někoho svobody 23. to rehabilitate; rehabilitation ospravedlnit; ospravedlnění 24. defender obžalovaný 25. *to sacrifice; sacrifice obětovat; oběť Word bank 1. to commit a crime spáchat trestný čin 2. offence přestupek 3. to witness a crime být svědkem trestného činu 4. eye witness očitý svědek 5. to be charged with a crime obvinit z trestného činu 6. to take to court vzít k soudu 7. to sue sb žalovat někoho 8. to be tried být souzen 9. trial soudní proces 10. to be taken into custody být vzat do vazby 11. to plead not guilty prohlašovat se nevinným 12. to defend sb obhajovat někoho 13. state prosecutor státní zástupce 14. to pass verdict vynést rozsudek 15. judge soudce 16. jury porota 17. to appeal odvolat se 18. Court of Appeal odvolací soud 19. to be acquitted být zproštěn obžaloby 20. to sentence odsoudit 21. to pay a fine platit pokutu 22. bail kauce 23. to serve 2 years in prison odpykat si 2 roky ve vězení 24. to be released from prison být propuštěn z vězení 25. blackmail vydírání 26. bribery úplatkářství 27. to bribe uplácet 28. drug trafficking pašování drog 29. to smuggle pašovat 30. human trafficking ilegální převod lidí přes hranice 31. mugging loupežné přepadení 32. kidnapping únos osoby 33. ransome výkupné 34. to hijack unést dopravní prostředek 35. arsonist žhář 36. copyright infringement porušení autorského práva 37. breach of law porušení zákona 38. to pass a bill schválit zákon 39. community service veřejně prospěšné práce 40. death penalty trest smrti 41. to abolish zrušit 42. life imprisonment doživotní trest 43. jail cela 44. to amend a/the law upravit zákon Other quotations from http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/ot-quotes.html#QProhibition, viewed on 22.11.2002.