U.S. Classification

Violations of laws, which are derived from common law, are classified as Part I crimes in UCR (Uniform Crime Reports) data, and further categorized as violent and property crimes. Part I violent crimes include murder and criminal homicide (voluntary manslaughter), forcible rape, aggravated assault, and robbery, while Part I property crimes include burglary, arson, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft. All other crimes are classified as Part II crimes.

Crimes are grouped into felonies and misdemeanors. For convenience, infractions are also usually included in such lists although, in the U.S., they may not be the subject of the criminal law, but rather of the civil law.

An offence is classified if the maximum term of imprisonment authorized is:

(1) life imprisonment, or if the maximum penalty is death, as a Class A felony;

(2) twenty-five years or more, as a Class B felony;

(3) less than twenty-five years but ten or more years as a Class C felony:

(4) less than ten years but more five or more years, as a Class D felony;

(5) less than five years but more than one years, as a Class E felony;

(6) one year or less but more than six months, as a Class A misdemeanor;

(7) six months or less but more than thirty days, as a Class B misdemeanor;

(8) thirty days or less but more than five days, as a Class C misdemeanor;

(9) five days or less, or if no imprisonment is authorized, as an infraction.

Task 1.19. Name the crimes. The box gives the names of 22 crimes. Match the crimes to their definitions presented below:

arson • assassination • assault • bigamy • blackmail

bribery • burglary • embezzlement • espionage • extortion

forgery • fraud • libel • manslaughter • murder • perjury

piracy • robbery • indecency • smuggling • theft • treason

1. Assault acting in such a way as to make someone believe he or she will be hurt.

2. ________ betraying your country to a foreign power.

3. ________ copying patented inventions or copyrighted works.

4. ________ entering a building illegally and stealing things.

5. ________ getting money from people by threatening to publicize facts they do not want revealed.

6. ________ getting money from people by using threats.

7. ________ getting property or money from people by making them believe untrue

things.

8. ________ going through a ceremony of marriage when you are still married to

someone else.

9. ________ killing a public figure illegally and intentionally.

10. ________ killing someone illegally and intentionally.

11. ________ killing someone unintentionally or in mitigating circumstances.

12. ________ making an illegal copy of a banknote or document.

13. ________ offering money corruptly to get someone to do something to help you.

14. ________ a form of sexual assault that does not involve rape.

15. ________ setting fire to a building.

16. ________ stealing something by using force or threatening to use force.

17. ________ stealing, taking property which belongs to someone else.

18. ________ taking goods illegally into or out of a country.

19. ________ telling lies when you have sworn an oath to say what is true in court.

20. ________ trying to find out secrets by illegal means.

21. ________ using illegally or stealing money which you are looking after for someone

else.

22. ________ writing, publishing or broadcasting a statement which damages someone's

character.

Task 1.20. In this table there are 22 crimes and seven categories of crime. Decide which category each crime belongs to:

	Crimes against the person	Crimes against property	Sexual offences	Political offences	Offences against justice	Public order offences	Road traffic offences
Burglary		a
Reckless driving
Obscenity
Murder
Theft
Rape
Treason
Breach of the peace
Manslaughter
Assassination
Buggery
Abduction
Bigamy
Perjury
Robbery
Assault
Blackmail
Grievous bodily harm
Forgery
Battery
Sedition
Contempt of court

Task 1.21.Study the names of the crimes, the people that correspond to the following committed actions and clear up the meanings of the following terms using a dictionary. Using the words from the table make up 10 sentences of your own: