punishable by life imprisonment.
A second-degree felony is punishable by a maximum of 15 years in a state correctional facility, a fine of up to $10,000, or both (ex. Aggravated Battery).
A third-degree felony carries a maximum penalty of five years in a state correctional facility, a fine of up to $5,000, or both (ex. Aggravated Assault). Penalties of imprisonment may be extended for defendants who have been classified as a violent career criminal, or habitual felony offender. Some crimes may be reclassified to the next higher degree when certain factors are present:
-violent offenses committed against law enforcement officers, correctional officers, State Attorneys, Assistant State Attorneys, and judges
-wearing a mask, hood, etc. to conceal identity while committing a felony or misdemeanor
-wearing a bulletproof vest while committing certain offenses
-evidencing prejudice while committing a crime (hate crimes) -possessing a weapon while committing a crime
- unlawful taking, possessing, or using of a law enforcement officer's firearm during the commission of a crime
-committing a misdemeanor or felony that facilitated or furthered an act of terrorism.
Similarly, some offenses may be reclassified based on certain factors. For example, attempting most crimes is a degree lower than the completion of the offense.
A misdemeanor is any criminal offense with a maximum incarceration penalty in a county jail up to one year. Misdemeanors are divided based on the maximum penalty and/or fine associated with the offense.. A first-degree misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of one year in a county jail, a fine of $1,000, or both. Battery is a first-degree misdemeanor. A second-degree misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of 60 days in a county jail, a fine of $500, or both( ex. criminal mischief involving property damage totaling less than S200).
Civil penalty is a noncriminal violation, also known as a civil infraction. A noncriminal violation does not constitute a crime, and conviction for a noncriminal violation shall not give rise to any legal disability based on a criminal offense.
Exercise 1. Find these words and word combinations in the text.
a)правонарушение
b)уголовное, тяжкое преступление
d) преступление средней тяжести
e)опасный опытный преступник
f)рецидивист
g)гражданско-правовое взыскание.
Exercise2. Complete these word partnerships.
1. civil infractions |
a) of terrorism |
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2. to yield |
b) parole |
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3. correctional |
c) a life sentence |
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4. to carry |
d) a crime |
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5. to attempt |
e) a maximum penalty of |
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6. to impose |
f) facility |
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7. the possibility of |
g) the right of way |
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8. an act |
h) infractions |
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Exercise 3. Complete these sentences.
1.The term offense broadly describes ……………….......
2.Felonies are classified based on....................................
3.Penalties of imprisonment may be extended for...............
4.The penalty may vary depending on ……………………
5.A misdemeanor is........................….................................
6.Civil penalty is...................................................................
Exercise 4. Answer these questions.
1.How are criminal offenses classified?
2.How many felony classes are there?
3.What is the highest class of felony?
4.When may crimes be reclassified to the next higher?
5.What types of misdemeanors are there?
Total : 25
Your score :_________________
TEXT 6.
Proving a Criminal Offense
To determine if a crime has occurred, an officer must determine whether elements of a criminal act are present. The officer must have probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed (corpus delicti or "body of the offense") and that the person to be charged committed the crime. Generally, to prove that a crime has been committed, it must be shown that a criminal statute specifically prohibits the alleged act or omission and that the person committing the act or omission did so knowingly or intentionally.
In most cases, a criminal offense requires an offender to take some physical action towards committing the criminal offense. Mere thoughts do not constitute criminal liability. However, a person may also commit a criminal act by failing to act, that is, by omission. To base criminal liability on failure to act, it must first be found that the person had a legal duty to act and not simply a moral duty.
For an offender to be guilty of a criminal offense, the offense must be defined so that the offender engages in specific conduct or intentionally produces a specified result. Intent is defined as purposely doing what the law declares to be a crime. It is generally accepted that a person intends the result of his or her actions if the person consciously desires a particular result to occur or if the person knows that the result is practically certain to follow from his or her conduct, regardless of a desire for the result.
Under criminal law principles, there are four basic classifications of intent: general, specific, transferred, and criminal negligence.
General intent defines most criminal offenses, which require some forbidden act by the offender. To qualify as an act, the offender's bodily movement must be voluntary. Therefore, to some extent, all crimes requiring an act also require at least the offender's intention to make the bodily movement, which becomes the act to commit the criminal offense. For example, resisting a law enforcement officer with violence is a general intent crime.
Specific intent requires more than reasonable expectation of the result. Specific intent designates a special mental element of intention to cause a particular result, which is required over and above any mental state required for the
offender to commit the act. A specific intent crime will list in the statute the specific elements which must be met. For example, burglary is a specific intent crime.
Transferred intent is present when an intentional act harms an unintended second victim . For example, a person intending to illegally shoot one victim unintentionally misses and strikes a second victim.
For criminal liability to exist based on an offenders act, there must also be a causal relationship between the offender's act and the resulting harm. The offender's conduct must cause the result. In other words, but for the offender's conduct, the result would not have occurred.
The crime ultimately charged must bear some causal relationship to the actions of the defendant. Situations involving transferred intent are complex. The causal relationship between the offender's act and the resulting harm may also be specifically permitted by law. This principle is known as a legal defense or legal justification.
The fourth category of intent, sometimes referred to as criminal negligence or recklessness, imposes criminal liability on a defendant when he or she did not intend for his or her behavior to cause the resulting harm at all. Simple negligence cannot give rise to criminal charges; it is only when that negligence is gross or flagrant it reaches the level of criminal responsibility called culpable negligence. Culpable negligence is consciously doing an act that the person knew or should have known was to cause injury. An example of this fourth category of intent is vehicular homicide.
Exercise 1. Find these words and word combinations in the text.
a)состав преступления
b)веские основания полагать
d)бездействие
e)общий. косвенный умысел
f)конкретный/ прямой умысел
g)перемещенный умысел
h)преступная небрежность. халатность
Exercise 2. Fill in the appropriate prepositions.
I. A criminal offense requires an offender to take some physical action ____
committing the criminal offense.
2. ____ criminal law principles, there are four basic classifications of intent.
3. Resisting a law enforcement officer____ violence is a general intent crime.
4. Specific intent designates a special mental element of intention to cause a particular result, which is required ___ and ___ any mental state required for the offender to commit the act.
5. ____ criminal liability to exist based on an offenders act, there must also be a causal relationship____ the offender's act and the resulting harm.
6. Simple negligence cannot give rise____ criminal charges.
Exercise 3. Complete these sentences.
1.To determine if a crime has occurred, an officer must .......................
2.To base criminal liability on failure to act, it must first be found .......
3.Intent is defined as ...............................................................................
4.General intent defines.........................................................................
5.Specific intent designates ..................................................................
6.Transferred intent is present when.....................................................
7.Criminal negligence or recklessness, imposes criminal liability on a defendant when..........................................................................................................
Total : 20
Your score :_________________
TEXT 7.
The Probable Cause Affidavit
One of the most important skills a law enforcement officer must develop is the ability to write legally sufficient probable cause affidavits for arrests. A probable cause affidavit—also called an arrest affidavit—is a sworn, written statement by a law enforcement officer establishing certain facts and circumstances to justify an arrest. This document is used by the judge to determine if there was sufficient probable cause to detain the individual. The assistant state attorney may also review the document to decide whether to file formal charges for the alleged crime. An officer should remember that the probable cause affidavit is an officer's statement of the facts made under oath and may be used by the del attorney in preparing the defense.
There are several minimum requirements for an arrest affidavit. First, it must