Below is an interview with a judge on crime and punishment. The judge says why he gives help in some cases and punishment in others

Juvenile delinquency is an issue about which people all over the world are concerned.

a) Read the extracts given below which present information on the gravity of the problem:

a) Youth gangs have been a part of Los Angeles since the fifties. Back then their activities were largely confined to petty crimes and small-scale marijuana dealing. But lately the num­bers of gangs have become staggering totalling from about 5,000 members lo 10,000. Almpst all the gangs are involved in the cocaine trade. "A typical gang might have 200 kids from 13 to 26 years of age," says Steven Strong, the L.A. Police depart­ment's detective. "Two weeks ago 30-year-old David Thompson and his wife were stopped by three armed teenagers, who rushed the couple, robbed them and then casually shot Thompson in the head. The gang members pushed the dying man's wife out of the car, got in and drove away."

b) Every night — and in many areas day and night, thou­sands of police cars patrol the streets of American towns. The list of crimes starts with petty crimes, goes through house-breaking, shoplifting, mug0ng to be topped by homicide. Entire neighbourhoods are terrorized by mobsters and thugs, many of them are quite young.

c) Just think about how teenagers run away from homes, their own, from caring as it seems mothers, fathers, grand­mothers. Why do they choose to look and act aggressive and tough? Take rockers who startle passers-by by the flashing lights of their roaring night motorbikes. Why do they, with their high-school background, have such a lack of thoughtful-ness? Self-assertion? Then why at other people's expense?

b) Pair work. Team up with another student, work out the reasons for Juvenile delinquency as they are presented to the extract and discuss the ex­tracts in pairs.

c) Speak about the social background of juvenile delinquency and its role in contributing to the crime rate. Consider the following:

1. Are juvenile offenders usually found among children from broken homes or large unhappy poor families? 2. Is being un­employed anlmportant enough reason to push somebody onto the path of crime? 3. What would you say about disillusion­ment, loss of faith in the surrounding grown-up world as a pos­sible reason for juvenile delinquency? 4. Speak on the vital role of drug addiction and alcohol consumption in the growing crime rate in general and in juvenile delinquency in particular.

a) Work in groups of 3 or 4 and assign different opinions on the problem of the punishment to each member of the group:

Interviewer. Are there ever times when you just feel desper­ate, you know, you realize there's absolutely nothing that can be done for this person?

Judge: Oh, yes, very often.

Interviewer. And what do you do in such cases?

Judge: Well, it depends how anti-social their action has been. If a person needs help one wants to give it to him or her, but on the other hand you always have to consider at the same time: the effect on society in general of too much kindness to too many people.

Interviewer. You mean if such a person were let free he might cause far more trouble to other people than he could cause to himself while he's inside prison.

Judge: Yes, indeed. And also if people were never punished I think undoubtedly crime would increase.

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