9. Work in groups. Discuss the following questions.

1.Which of the crimes in the table above do you think are the two most serious? Which do you think are the two least serious?

2.What do you think the punishment for the crimes should be?

3.What sort of crimes are usually reported in a. national b. local newspapers in your country?

4.Describe a crime you have heard or read about. Was the criminal caught? What was the punishment?

CHILDREN’S LIFESTYLES – A CAUSE FOR CONCERN?

1. Work in groups. Discuss your opinions.

1. In what way are the lifestyles of children today different from when you were a child?

2. Do you think fear of crime has in any way restricted children's leisure activities?

2. Read the article quickly. Tick T (true) or F (false).

According to the article

1) 80% of children in the UK walk to school today; 2) children are less active today than in the 1930s; 3) children get plenty of physical exercise at school;

4) researchers believe an inactive lifestyle is a health risk; 5) the risk of a child being killed by a stranger is very small; 6) press reporting reduces fear of crime;

7) an over-protective attitude to children is harmful.

“Images from the past show us children playing out of doors... Now they are imprisoned by their parents’ fear of crime”

In the 1970s, 80% of children in the UK walked to school unaccompanied. Now only 9% do. The rise of the motor car, combined with terror of crime, has turned children into sedentary captives. Where old-fashioned images show children playing out of doors, in the street or in parks, these days they are more likely to be found slouched over video games and television sets. Children today use up an estimated one-quarter fewer calories than they did in the 1930s and experts, worried about the long-term health effects of childhood inactivity, are warning of a future health crisis.

One physiologist who checked children’s heart rates during school physical education activities found that only a handful ever got their heart rates up through exercise sufficiently to be of any benefit. One researcher was struck with horror when children came round to his door asking him to sponsor a fourmile walk, as if this was a great challenge. He used to walk a four-mile round trip to school every day of the week in his own childhood.

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Some researchers are now saying that an inactive lifestyle brings with it a risk factor equivalent to a packet of cigarettes a day, or even that it may be a higher risk than either smoking or high blood pressure. If so, that is a serious cause for concern for our children’s generation.

What has been the chief cause of this disastrous change in children’s lives? The car, the video game, and the TV have played their part, but the most important factor is the unreasonable fear of crime. Children are imprisoned by their parents’ fear. Women and old people are afraid to go out alone and at night, but the effect on children is far worse. Yet the chances of a child being hurt or killed by a stranger are so small that it is a tragedy to think of all those millions of children living a confined life indoors, because of the rare horror story that grips the imagination.

If it weren’t for this largely imagined danger, most parents would like the idea of their children walking to school and learning independence at a suitable age. But the way crimes are reported by the popular press greatly increases fear of crime. If something horrible does happen to a child, there is an implied question ‘What were the parents doing letting that child out alone?’ which is deeply unfair.

We have to start replacing fear of crime, largely unrealistic, with a new fear for our children: of physical damage through idleness, and psychological damage through an over-protective attitude that never lets them explore the world around them.

Adapted from article in Radio Times by Polly Toynbee

3.Work in pairs. Explain the underlined words and phrases, or guess their meaning from the context.

1) walked to school unaccompanied;

2) only a handful;

3) a risk factor equivalent to;

4) disastrous change;

5) that grips the imagination.

4.Find words or phrases in the text that mean.

1)extreme fear;

2)inactive prisoners;

3)sitting in a lazy way;

4)very shocked;

5)to give money for charity after a specific activity;

6)worry or anxiety;

7)restricted;

8)suggested in an indirect way;

9)allowing;

10)laziness.

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5. Read four people’s opinions on the article. Number the statements 1, 2, 3, or 4 to show which speaker’s opinion they express.

Speaker 1

Well, I live in the country and I let my children play outdoors and walk to school by themselves. But I’m sure that if I lived in a big town I wouldn’t let them do that. Cities today are dangerous places. I know many parents who live in cities and they would like to give their children a lot more freedom but they are worried about their children’s safety. They feel that if anything bad happened it would be their fault.

Speaker 2

Well, I agree with the author’s description of children as sedentary captives. I think many parents feel their children aren’t safe playing outside in the streets so they stay indoors instead. And children who don’t get enough exercise are sure to grow up less healthy than children who do. Maybe to talk of a ‘health crisis’ in the future is a bit strong but these inactive children will probably have more health problems and heart attacks when they're older.

Speaker 3

I think what the author says about the danger of physical and psychological damage to children is a very real danger. It’s certainly bad for children to be protected too much. They have to learn to be independent – to stand on their own two feet! And she's right in saying the real risk of children being attacked by strangers is very small. If you look at the statistics they show that it’s babies under a year old that are the most likely victims and their attackers are not strangers but people in the family.

Speaker 4

I agree with a lot of what the author says but I understand very well why parents don’t want to let their children go out alone. Maybe the risk is small but who wants to take any risk, even a small one? You only need to read one newspaper report of the murder of a child to realize that the dangers are there and you need to protect your children. Imagine being the parent of a murdered child, saying to yourself for the rest of your life “If I’d been more careful, it would never have happened”. That must be really awful.

Speaker

a.Inactivity in childhood is likely to result in poor health later in life.

b.It’s better to be safe than sorry. If not, you could regret it for the rest of your life.

с. The amount of freedom you can give children depends on where you live.

d.Children are much more at risk of being damaged by inactivity and overprotection than they are of being victims of crime.

6. Work in groups. Give your opinion of the article and of the views expressed by the speakers.

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7. Project. Work in groups. Write six to eight questions for a public opinion survey to find out people’s views on crime, e.g. causes, people’s fears, what should be done, etc. Then work in pairs and interview a student from another group. The groups discuss the results and present their findings to the class.

AN EYE FOR AN EYE

1.What is capital punishment? Can you name any countries which have it? How many arguments can you think of for and against its use?

2.As you read the article and the missing paragraphs, check to see if your answers and ideas are mentioned. Which of the arguments do you agree with?

3.Read the article and the missing paragraphs again. Choose from the paragraphs A–G the one which fits each gap 1–6. There is one extra paragraph which you don’t need to use.

The Hangman’s Rope

Capital punishment has been used throughout history, although its methods and the crimes for which it is used have changed over the centuries.

1.

In the USA, 85% of the population over the age of 21 approve of the death penalty. In many states which still have the death penalty, some use the electric chair,

which can take up to 20 minutes to kill, while others use gas or lethal injections. 2.

The first of these was the case of Ruth Ellis, who was hanged for shooting her lover in what was generally regarded as a crime of passion. The second was the posthumous pardon of Timothy Evans, hanged for murders which, it was later proved, had been committed by someone else.

3.

The pro-hanging lobby uses four main arguments to support its call for the reintroduction of capital punishment. First there is the deterrence theory, which argues that potential murderers would think twice before committing the act if they knew that they might die if they were caught. The armed bank robber might, likewise, go back to being unarmed.

4.

The other two arguments are more suspect. The idea of retribution demands that criminals should get what they deserve: if a murderer intentionally sets out to commit a crime, he should accept the consequences. Retribution, which is just another word for revenge, is supported by the religious doctrine of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

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5.

The arguments against the death penalty are largely humanitarian. But there are also statistical reasons for opposing it: the deterrence figures do not add up. In Britain, 1903 was the record year for executions and yet in 1904 the number of homicides actually rose. There was a similar occurrence in 1946 and 1947. If the deterrence theory were correct, the rate should have fallen.

6.

The other reasons to oppose the death penalty are largely a matter of individual conscience and belief. One is that murder is murder and the state has no more right to take a life than the individual. The other is that Christianity preaches forgiveness, not revenge.

A.By contrast, in Britain, public opinion started to turn against the use of capital punishment after the Second World War. A number of well-publicised cases in the fifties, two in particular, helped to bring about this swing.

B.The next argument in favour of bringing back capital punishment concerns public security. If the death penalty were reinstated, it would mean that a convicted murderer could not be set free after serving 20 years or less of a life sentence and be able to go on to murder again. Consequently, the general public would be safer.

C.As a consequence, juries were unwilling to convict. This brought about a gradual reduction in the use of a death penalty until finally it was decided that it should only be available for murder and serious violent crimes.

D.Nowadays not only are the methods different but more importantly not everyone agrees that capital punishment should be used. People are divided into two distinct groups; those for and those against. This is because this issue is black and white; there is no grey area.

E.The fourth and last pro-hanging argument is the most cold-blooded. It is that

it makes economic sense to hang convicted murderers rather than keep them in prison wasting taxpayers’ money.

F.However, despite this change of opinion, the death penalty was not actually abolished in Britain until 1965. And even now there are many people both inside and outside Parliament who would like it to be reintroduced. There have been 14 attempts to bring back hanging since its abolition.

G.The second main argument against reintroducing capital punishment is that innocent people are sometimes wrongly convicted, and while people can be released from prison, they cannot be brought back from the dead if they have been hanged.

4.Which form of capital punishment does the author appear to find the most barbaric? Justify your answer. “There have been 14 attempts to bring back hanging since its abolition.” What does this tell us about British politicians’ views on hanging?

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5. Choose the best meaning for the words in italics from the article.

1.A convicted murderer. A. determined;

B. declared guilty by the jury;

C. one who has committed murder before.

2.The other two arguments are more suspect. A. questionable;

B. understandable; C. justifiable.

3.The fourth pro-hanging argument is the most cold-blooded. A. convincing;

B. controversial; C. unfeeling.

4.The arguments against the death penalty are largely humanitarian. A. mainly;

B. especially; C. also.

6. Read the text below and decide which word A, B, C or D best fits each gap.

Crime prevention

You can make life more difficult for thieves by (1)_____ your wallet in an inside pocket instead of a back pocket. But make sure that you still have it if someone bumps into you in a (2)_____. Most pickpockets are very skilful. Never let your handbag out of your (3)_____. On public transport, (4)_____hold of it. You are also (5)_____ to take traveller’s cheques rather than cash when you go abroad, and to use cash dispensers which are on (6)_____ streets, or are well lit at night.

A quarter of all crimes are car thefts or thefts of things from cars, like car audio systems. If your car is (7)_____, you may not get it back. One in four are never found, and even if it is, it may be badly (8)_____. Always lock all doors and windows, and think about fitting a car alarm too. If you are buying a new car audio system, it is (9)_____choosing one that is security-coded or removable by the driver. These precautions will help to (10)_____ thieves.

7. You are going to read two articles. The first is an advantages and disadvantages composition and the second is an opinion composition.

Read the first question in the box. How many advantages and disadvantages can you think of? Read Text 1. How many of your ideas are mentioned?

Community service is being used more and more as a punishment for young offenders, as an alternative to imprisonment. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of this system?

Read the second question in the box. Think of arguments you could use to disagree with the statement. Then read Text 2 and see how many of your ideas are mentioned.

Many people think that community service is a better punishment for young offenders than locking them up in prisons or special institutions. Do you agree?

Text 1

Nowadays young people who are convicted of a crime are as likely to be given community service as they are to be locked up. Naturally, this system has both advantages and disadvantages.

In the first place, young offenders are often first offenders. If they are sent to prison, they may be pushed towards a life of crime. In contrast, community service may help integrate them into society. Another advantage is that it is a cheaper alternative to prison as the offender continues to live at home. Besides, the offender is giving something back to the community instead of taking from it.

The main advantage is that while the idea of going to prison might act as a deterrent for some people, community service would not. Also, not all young offenders are first offenders. Some have been committing crimes from an early age and are already hardened criminals. They would regard community service as a ‘soft option’.

To sum up, it seems that there are as many advantages as disadvantages, and that while community service may work for some offenders, it fails for others.

Text 2

I do not agree that it is preferable to give young offenders community service instead of imprisonment, unless the crime they have committed is minor, such as petty theft.

First of all, I believe that if someone commits a crime, they should be punished for it. But, while prison punishes offenders by taking away their freedom, community service does not punish them at all. In my opinion, young people need to be taught from an early age that crime does not pay.

Another reason why I am against community service is that it does not make people think twice before committing a crime. The only real deterrent is the thought of possibly facing a prison sentence if they are caught.

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