Out of the Mouths of the Babes

10 – 13

Under 10

Young Offenders and the Law

You cannot be guilty of a criminal offence.

You can be taken into local authority care if you are beyond the control of a parent or guardian. In extreme cases, with the permission of the Health secretary, you can be put in a secure community home.

A child over 10 is capable of a criminal offence, but can only be convicted in court if he/she knows the difference between right and wrong.

Greater use is being made of informal methods instead of courts: eg caution by police, making amends such as repairing damaged property.

Persistent offenders can be dealt with by Young Courts except in cases of murder or manslaughter which are heard in adult Crown Courts.

For grave crimes this age group can be put in secure community homes.

Very disturbed and delinquent children can be placed in a secure Youth Treatment Centre until the age of 18, but only with the Health Secretary’s permission. Such cases are very rare.

Young offenders who appear in court can be:

-fined or made to pay compensation (parents or guardians are ordered to pay);

-put under the supervision of a social worker or probation officer;

-given an “absolute discharge” for trivial crimes. This means they are not punished.

14+

Between 14 and 16, a child is legally defined as a “young person” and presumed to know the difference between right and wrong.

The same penalties apply as for 10 to 13 age group but the risk of a custodial sentence increases.

From 14-17: youngsters accused of serious offences, which for an adult would carry a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, can be tried by the adult Crown Court.

15: offenders can be locked up in a Young Offender Institution for 2 to 12 months. They can also be held in police custody to await trial if no secure local-authority accommodation is available or if the court decides that this is necessary to protect the public.

16: offenders can be ordered to do community service, can be put on probation and are liable to pay fines or compensation themselves.

17: offenders are still dealt with by Youth courts but can be held in custody in the same way as an adult if they are thought likely to go missing or commit another crime.

5.Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1)You can be guilty of a criminal offence at 8.

2)A child of 10 can be convicted in court.

3)A child of 13 is punished even for trivial crimes.

4)At 15, a young criminal faces the same penalties as the 10 to 13 age group.

5)Offenders of 17 are still dealt with by Youth Court.

6.Read the following text.

In a new survey young people describe their experiences of crime and suggest possible causes and solutions.

Young people are just as worried as their parents by the cases reported in the media and by crime which they suffer themselves, according to a new survey by criminologists. In fact, youngsters could be said to have more reason to fear violent crime because they are its most common victims.

A team of researchers from the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University carried out the survey on two large council estates near Birmingham. They questioned 307 youngsters who were aged between 13 and 17 about crime, its causes and possible solutions.

According to Kate Painter, who organized the research, the findings contradict the view of some public figures that juvenile crime is increasing. She says the findings show that very few teenagers are involved in stealing cars, burglary, robbery and assaults.

The 148 boys and 159 girls questioned were from families with high levels of unemployment. A high percentage had single parents and most were still at school.

Strict rules were observed to encourage those questioned to answer honestly. All were questioned with their parents’ permission but parents had to be out of the room during interviews. Answers to questions about varieties of crime committed were put in unmarked envelopes to keep the respondents anonymous and discourage them from boasting.

Two out of every five boys and girls had played truant from school, a quarter regularly smoked and about 7 out of 10 had drunk alcohol. Roughly a fifth said they had taken money from home and a smaller percentage had shoplifted.

Thirty-three per cent of the boys, and 26 per cent of the girls, said they had hit and injured somebody in a public place. Only one per cent had broken into a house or shop. Three per cent, girls as well as boys, had take vehicle and driven it away. Seven per cent had used a weapon in a fight, twice as many carried weapons for protection.

But what came through strongly was the large number of youngsters who had also been victims of crime or the threat of crime. Fifteen per cent had been stopped by male drivers they did not know asked to get into their cars. Similar numbers had been followed by a stranger in a car or on foot. A fifth said they had been assaulted in the street.

When asked why youngsters they knew committed crimes, 79 per cent cited boredom and 58 per cent said offenders had no sense of right and wrong. A lack of leisure facilities was blamed by half and 44 per cent blamed parental neglect.

More police officers on foot patrol was the most popular solution reducing juvenile crime, and was suggested by nearly 7 out of 10. Sixty-five per cent said there should be more discipline and supervision by parents.

In fact, the majority of those surveyed revealed the presence of caring parents. Seven out of 10 were taken by parents and 61 per cent said their parents wanted to know where they were and what they were doing at times. Eighty-five per cent said they could talk to their mother or father about anything that troubled them.

Three-quarters had never been hit by either parent but were shouted at or threatened for wrongdoing, whereas 16 per cent were hit sometimes or often. Sixty-nine per cent said their parents explained to them why certain things were wrong.

Ms Painter says that the findings still need proper analysis and will not be published for another year. But we can already see that there is consensus among young people and adults about strategies for preventing crime and why young people offend.

Are our kids out of control? The answer is no, but there is a substantial minority of children who are neglected. You can deduce from that that those children are more likely to get involved in crime if there is nobody checking up on them.

“In the past, 18- to 21-year-old working-class kids got jobs and married. The best antidote to crime is a steady job and a steady relationship.”

6. Say, what these figures relate to:

79%, 7 out of 10, 307, 26%, 148, 159, 44%, 58%, ¾, 2 out of 5, ¼, 61%, 69%.

7.Complete the following sentences.

1)Youngsters are worried by the criminal cases reported in the media because…

2)The findings show that…

3)The youngsters questioned were encouraged…

4)There is consensus among young people and adults about…

5)There is a substantial minority of children who…

6)Those children are most likely…

8.What are the possible causes of teenage crime experience? What are the possible solutions?

9.Insert the following words in the sentences below.

detention concurrent inmate discernible grave custody probation phase out magistrate persistent caution underestimate secure try liable assault findings

1)He is serving two _ prison sentences.

2)I kept telling him I wasn’t interested in his offer, but he was _.

3)There is still no _ improvement in the economic situation.

4)The boy came up before the _ on a charge of theft.

5)She was held in police _ for six hours.

6)Don’t _ his abilities.

7)They were released from _ without being charged.

8)Their claims should be treated with great _.

9)Make the windows _ before leaving the house.

10)The _ of the committee on child care are due to be published soon.

11)The bus service to country areas is being _.

12)The situation poses a _ threat to peace.

13)The army launched a major _ against the rebel town.

14)They’re going to _ him for murder.

15)The young offender was put on _ for two years.

16)One of the _ has escaped.

17)He declared that he was not _ for his wife’s debts.

III 1.You are a politician (policeman, judge, psychologist, sociologist). Suggest measures to deal with young offenders, relying on your own experience.

2.Write a short essay on the topic “Are our kids out of control?”.

3.Additional tasks.

a)Spot the lies.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-24