Criminal Law and Offenses

Crime and Offenses

• A crime is an offense, a criminal, or an illegal/unlawful act that violates the law.
• Types of crimes: minor/petty crimes and major crimes.

Scenarios and Types of Crimes

• Leaving the house: burglary, arson, theft, and robbery.
• Walking along the street: jaywalking, kidnapping, blackmail, and murder.
• Vehicles running: traffic offenses, human smuggling, and speeding.
• Passing a church on the street: terrorism.
• At a supermarket: pickpocketing, shoplifting, and fraud.

Specific Crimes

• Pickpocketing: to steal from someone's pocket.
• Shoplifting: to steal from a shop.
• Traffic offenses: drunk driving, running a red light, and speeding.
• Kidnapping: to take someone away by force.
• Arson: to set fire to a property.
• Burglary: to break into a house and steal things.
• Drug trafficking: to smuggle drugs or people.
• Fraud: to trick or deceive someone.
• Murder: to kill someone intentionally.
• Mugging: to rob someone in a public place.
• Terrorism: to create fear or terrorize.
• Blackmail: to demand money or favors in exchange for not revealing a secret.
• Theft: to steal something.

Criminals

• A criminal, an offender, or a lawbreaker is someone who commits a crime.
• Juvenile delinquency: a teenager who commits a crime.

Punishment

• Heavy punishment: 10-year prison sentence, life imprisonment, and capital punishment (death penalty).
• Light punishment: community service, fines, probation, and electronic monitoring (ankle bracelets).
• A sentence: a punishment given to someone who commits a crime.
• Receive/be given/be sentenced to a punishment.
• Impose a punishment on someone.
• Serve a sentence in prison.
• Imprison: to put someone in prison.

Law Enforcement

• Armed police: police officers who carry weapons.
• Policymakers create regulations, communities obey laws, and law enforcement tackles lawbreakers.
• Investigate a crime: gather evidence, interview witnesses, and establish leads to identify suspects.
• Accuse someone of a crime: to suspect someone of committing a crime.
• Arrest a suspect: to take someone into custody.
• Hold a suspect in police custody: to keep someone in prison while waiting for further investigation or legal proceedings.

Rehabilitation and Reintegration

• Reintegrate back into society: to return to normal life after serving a sentence.
• Rehabilitate offenders: to help offenders change their behavior.
• Counselling room: a room for psychological therapy.

Judges and Jury

• Judges and members of the jury panel: people who decide the guilt or innocence of a defendant.
• Be a lenient or draconian rule/law/punishment: to be soft or tough on crime.

The Legal Process

• Face prosecution: to be accused of a crime.
• Come to a trial/court: to appear in court to answer charges.
• Be convicted of a crime: to be found guilty of a crime.
• Plead guilty: to admit to committing a crime.
• Be guilty of a crime: to have committed a crime.
• Pass sentence on someone: to give a punishment to someone.