II. Reading

4. Ответьте на вопросы.

1. What types of modern punishment do you know?

2. Are mild sentences a sign of a civilized society?

5. Прочитайте и переведите текст. T ypes of punishment

There are several kinds of punishment available to the courts. Crimes are punished according to their seriousness. More serious crimes are given harsher penalties. In declaring a sentence a judge may take into account the following: prior criminal record, the age of the offender and other circumstances surrounding the crime, including cooperation with law enforcement officers, the amount of loss to victims, whether a weapon was used in the crime, the age or helplessness of the victims.

Punishment may include:

- a fine

- term of imprisonment (time in jail or prison)

- probation or parole

- community service

For criminal offences fines are also often used as in civil cases when the offense is not a very serious one and when the offender has not been in trouble before.

For more serious crimes the usual punishment is imprisonment. The length of sentences varies from a few days to a lifetime. However, a life sentence may allow the prisoner to be released after a suitably long period if a parole board agrees that his detention no longer serves a purpose. In some countries, such as the Netherlands, living conditions in prison are fairly good because it is felt that deprivation of liberty is punishment in itself and should not be so harsh that it reduces the possibility of the criminal re-educating and reforming himself. In other countries, conditions are very bad. Perhaps because of an increase in crime or because of more and longer sentences of imprisonment, some prison cells have to accommodate far more people than they were built to hold. Britain and the United States are trying to solve the shortage of space by allowing private companies to open prisons.

Probation is the suspension of jail time. If you are convicted of a crime you may be sentenced to probation and allowed to remain living in the community under the supervision of a probation officer. Conditions of probation may require you to keep a job or attend counseling. Violating these terms may cause the court to end the probation and send you to jail to serve out the original sentence. At the end of the term of probation you are free of the state's supervision.

Parole is the conditional release of a prisoner before the prison sentence has expired.

Parole decisions are made by a separate state agency. Typically, parole is granted on certain conditions that must be carefully followed. For example, a person on parole may be required to check in with a parole officer each week. Violation of these conditions can result in the agency revoking the parole and sending the person back to prison.

Community service requires the offender to do a certain amount of unpaid work usually for a social institution such as a hospital.

Such kind of punishment as corporal punishment is still in some countries. In Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe courts may sentence offenders to be caned or whipped. In Saudi Arabia theft and possession of alcohol may be punished by cutting off the offender's hand or foot.

Restricting freedom in the form of house arrest as a new alternative type of punishment in the Russian Federation has now been adopted in connection with coming into force of new provisions in the Criminal and Criminal Correctional Codes. A new law imposing house arrest for minor offences may make the penal system in Russia more humane. The bill signed by President of the RF in 2009 concerns Russian citizens, except servicemen convicted of minor crimes such as libel, insult, theft, fraud and others. Those sentenced according to the law will have in particular to wear electronic tracking bracelets.

Thus more steps were taken to reform the penal system and the practice of social rehabilitation of people convicted of different crimes. Supporters of the document believe it will help to relieve overcrowded prisons and provide an alternative for adolescents and those convicted of minor crimes. Others think these measures may prompt corruption.