Crime and Punishment

Crime and punishment vocabulary

In this part, we are going to study the crime and a punishment and vocabulary related to it.

Crime is an ilegal activity such as murder or robbery.

Punishment is a penalty imposed on someone who is convicted of a crime. It could be, for example, time in prison or a fine.

A. Types of crime

     The following are the most common types of crime:

Crime	Definition
Abduction / kidnapping	Taking a person to a secret location using force.
Armed robbery	Using a weapon to steal.
Arson	Setting fire to a place on purpose.
Assault	Hurting another person physically.
Attempted murder	Trying to kill someone (but failing).
Burglary,breaking and entering	Going into another person's home or business with force.
Child abuse	Injuring a child on purpose.
Domestic violence	Physical assault that occurs within the home.
Drug trafficking	Trading illegal drugs.
Drunk driving	Driving after having too much alcohol.
Fraud	Lying or cheating for business or monetary purposes.
Hijacking	Holding people hostage (usually on a plane).
Murder / homicide	Taking someone's life through violence.
Ransom	A sum of money demanded in exchange for someone or something that has been taken.
Shoplifting	Stealing merchandise from a store.
Smuggling	Bringing products into a country secretly and illegally.
Speeding	Driving over the speed limit.
Terrorism	Acts of crime against a group (political / religious) or another country.
Theft	Stealing.
Torture	Extremely cruel and unfair treatment (often towards prisoners).
Vandalism	Damaging public or private property (for example with spray paint).
White collar crime	Breaking the law in business.

B. Types of punishment

     These are the most common types of punishment:

Punishment (example offence).	Definition
Traffic ticket (speeding, parking).	Leaves marks on driving record / involves paying a fine.
License suspension (drunk driving).	Driving rights are removed for a certain period of time.
Fine (hunting out of season).	Pay money as punishment for minor / petty crime.
House arrest (a young offender who is waiting to go to court).	Remain in one's home for a certain period of time.
Community service (a youth that steals a car for the first time).	Do volunteer work such as teaching children about crime or cleaning up garbage
Jail time (man who assaults his wife).	Spend a certain amount of months or years locked away from society.
Life in prison (a woman who commits homicide).	Spend the rest of one's life in prison with no chance of going back into society.

C. Questions related to crime

     The following boxes will present common questions that are asked in contexts related to crime.

Questions from law breakers or suspected criminals Why did you pull me over? Have I done something wrong? Is this illegal? What are my rights? Can I call a lawyer? Where are you taking me? Can I make a phone call?

Questions police may ask a suspected criminal Are you carrying any illegal drugs? Do you have a weapon? Does this belong to you? Whose car is this? Where were you at eight last night?

Informing someone of laws and police procedures You are under arrest. Put your hands on your head. I am taking you to the police station. Please get in the police car.