Empower p 58. CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. Speaking and Vocabulary

1. Conversation: Talk about the following questions with your partner for about 5 minutes. The pictures are there to help you.

1. How would you tackle the problem of gender-based violence in our country? Do you know anybody who has been subjected to continual sexual or racial harassment. What should have been done?
2. What are the biggest criminal issues affecting your country today?
3. Is safety a big concern in your area? Has it always been like this? What can be done to improve the situation?
4. Can you think of a famous person who has been in the dock recently? Why? What is the public opinion? Do you think public opinion can influence the jury's or the judge's decision when they return a verdict? Do you think the media plays a crucial role?
5. Are there any effective measures to prevent identity theft? If so, which ones?
6. What type of sentence should be given to petty offenders?
7. Would you be in favour of a zero tolerance policy for drink-driving?
8. There have been incidents of people going on the rampage recently. What do you think has triggered it? What actions marked an escalation of the conflict?
9. The topic of intellectual property has been very controversial recently. Where do you stand on this issue? Have you ever downloaded anything from the internet illegally?
10. Do you think capital punishment is a solution to the problem of crime?
11.  What are your biggest regrets in life? What do you think are the most common regrets people have at the end of their lives?

2. Below there are some issues related to the topic. You must talk about at least two of them for 3 minutes. You may be asked further questions about the topic when you have finished.

Partner A:

•          Is prison an effective deterrent against crime? Why / why not?

•          Do you think that the recession has made many people turn to crime?

•          What do you think of the judicial system in your country?

Partner B:

•          Talk about the most common types of crime in your area?

•          Is cybercrime becoming more pervasive? Do you know of any phishing or pharming scams? Have you ever fallen victim to a con artist?

•          What is your opinion about the rehabilitating capacity of prisons today?

Vocabulary

vandalism: the crime of destroying or damaging something, especially public property, deliberately and for no good reason. E.g. an act of vandalism.

vandal: a person who deliberately destroys or damages public property

dustbin: (North American English garbage can, trash can) a large container with a lid, used for putting rubbish/garbage in, usually kept outside the house.

Gender-based violence is violence directed against a person because of their gender. Both women and men experience gender-based violence but the majority of victims are women and girls.

harassment : /ˈhærəsmənt/ /həˈræsmənt/ the act of annoying or worrying somebody by putting pressure on them or saying or doing unpleasant things to them. E.g. racial/sexual harassment

be on speaking terms (with somebody), be speaking (to somebody) to be willing to be polite or friendly towards somebody, especially after an argument. E.g. She's not been on speaking terms with her uncle for years. Are they speaking to each other again yet?

clear the air to improve a difficult or tense situation by talking about worries, doubts, etc.

let off steam (informal) to get rid of your energy, anger or strong emotions by doing something active or noisy. E.g. I went for a long walk to let off steam.

offence: /əˈfens/ the act of upsetting or insulting somebody. E.g. I'm sure he meant no offence when he said that. The photo may cause offence to some people. No one will take offence (= feel upset or insulted) if you leave early. Don't be so quick to take offence.

cry over spilt milk to waste time worrying about something that has happened that you cannot do anything about. E.g. As the saying goes—it's no use crying over spilt milk.

make up (with somebody) to end a disagreement with somebody and become friends again. E.g. Why don't you two kiss and make up? Has he made it up with her yet? Have they made it up yet?

White-collar crime refers to financially motivated nonviolent crime committed by business and government professionals. Typical white-collar crimes include fraud, bribery, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, embezzlement, cybercrime, copyright infringement, money laundering, identity theft, and forgery.

bribery: /ˈbraɪbəri/ the giving or taking of bribes. E.g. She was arrested on bribery charges. Allegations of bribery and corruption.

dock: the part of a court where the person who has been accused of a crime stands or sits during a trial. E.g. He's been in the dock (= on trial for a crime) several times already.

return a verdict to give a decision about something in court. E.g. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.

Identity theft is a form of stealing someone's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, usually as a method to gain access to resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name.

petty: (of a crime) of lesser importance. E.g. petty theft.
A misdemeanor (also spelled misdemeanour) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than felonies

felony: the act of committing a serious crime such as murder or rape; a crime of this type. E.g. a charge of felony.

rampage: a sudden period of wild and violent behaviour, often causing damage and destruction. E.g. Gangs of youths went on the rampage in the city yesterday. A state of emergency was declared following overnight rampages by student demonstrators. 

trigger something (off) to make something happen suddenly. Nuts can trigger off a violent allergic reaction.

escalation: the act of becoming or making something greater, worse, more serious, etc. E.g. an escalation in food prices. Further escalation of the conflict

capital punishment: punishment by death.

deterrent: /dɪˈterənt/ deterrent (to somebody/something) a thing that makes somebody less likely to do something (= that deters them). E.g. Hopefully his punishment will act as a deterrent to others. the country’s nuclear deterrents (= nuclear weapons that are intended to stop an enemy from attacking).

turn to something to start to do or to use something in an attempt to help yourself when you are having difficulty dealing with a situation. E.g. turn to crime/ drink/ drugs:  He turned to drugs after his wife left him. 

pervasive: /pəˈveɪsɪv/ existing in all parts of a place or thing; spreading gradually to affect all parts of a place or thing. E.g. a pervasive smell of damp. Her influence is all-pervasive (= it affects everyone and everything). A sense of social change is pervasive in her novels.
phishing: the activity of tricking people by getting them to give their identity, bank account numbers, etc. over the Internet or by email, and then using these to steal money from them.

pharming: /ˈfɑːmɪŋ/ the practice of secretly changing computer files or software so that visitors to a popular website are sent to a different website instead, without their knowledge, where their personal details are stolen and used to steal money from them.

scam: a clever and dishonest plan for making money. E.g. an insurance scam.

conman/ con woman/ con artist: a man/woman/person who tricks others into giving him/her money, etc. E.g. An eighty-two year old lady had her pension and other belongings stolen by a con man.

rehabilitate: /ˌriːəˈbɪlɪteɪt/ rehabilitate somebody to help somebody to have a normal, useful life again after they have been very ill/sick or in prison for a long time. E.g. a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts