Development of the Prison System

A prison is an institution for the confinement of persons convicted of serious crimes or felonies. In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, imprisonment replaced corporal punishment, execution and banishment as the main means of punishing serious offenders. Historically exile, execution and corporal punishment were the most common penalties for criminal acts. Until the late 18^th century, prisons were used mostly for the confinement of debtorswho could not pay, of offenders awaiting trial, and of those convicted persons waiting for their sentences—death or exile—to be put into effect.

With the decline of capital punishment, the prison began to be used also as a place of punishment. The concept of the penitentiary was advocated in England during late 18^th century by Jeremy Bentham. At the same time in the United States penitentiaries were created first in Pennsylvania and then in New York. Antisanitary conditions and overcrowding produced a wide agitation for changes in prisons. Solitary confinement of criminals became an ideal among reformers of the 18^th century. A philosophy of prison management known as the “silent system” was developed. The prisoners worked together in silence in the daytime and at night were confined in solitary cells.

There were the steps made to fit the severity of punishment to the severity of crime.

Перепишите предложения. Письменно ответьте на вопросы

1. What is a prison?

2. What were the means of punishing offenders before the 19^th century?

3. How were prisons used until the late 18^th century?

4. When did the prison begin to be used as a place of punishment?

5. Why did reformers fight for solitary confinement of criminals?

6. What is the “silent system”?

 

Вариант 3

 

Prisons and Jails

Prisons differ from jails. Jails are facilities operated by local authorities and used to confine adult criminal offenders who have short-term sentences (in the United States, sentences of less than one year). Jails are used to house offenders, awaiting trial, witnesses in protective custody, probation and parole violators, and juveniles awaiting transfer to juvenile facilities.

Prisons have a distinctive inmate culture and jargon, whereas most jail populations constantly change. So little opportunity exists for jail inmates to develop a culture. Because prisons house long-term offenders, they usually offer vocational and educational programs for inmate’s rehabilitation. Most jails do not have such programs. Jails also lack other inmate facilities that exist in prisons, such as exercise facilities, small stores, and doctors, counselors, and other professionals.

The majority of jails in the United States are small, consisting of a single building with several cell blocks (horizontal groupings of cells). Prison facilities, by contrast, usually spread out over several acres, with high walls surrounding the perimeter. Prisons are also divided into a system of custody levels, where more dangerous inmates are separated from less dangerous ones. Armed guards occupy strategic positions in towers to deter prisoners from escape attempts. Prisons and most jails in the United States segregate male and female inmates and juveniles. However, some jails — known as lock-ups — consist of one or two large cells into which all arrested individuals are placed.

Перепишите предложения и напишите, верны ли следующие утверждения. Если нет – дайте правильный ответ.

1. There are prisons and jails in the USA.

2. Both prisons and jails offer educational and vocational programmes.

3. Young offenders are confined in jails.

4. Jails usually consist of one building.

Рекомендуемая литература

 

1. Английский для юристов. Базовый курс: учеб.пособие / Ю.Л.Гуманова –М.: Кно Рус, 2008.

2. Английский для юристов: учеб.пособие /Э.А. Немировская –М.: «Омега-Л», 2009.

3. Голицинский Ю.Б. Грамматика: сборник упражнений. СПб.: Каро, 2006.

4. Куценко Л.И., Тимофеева Г.И. Английский язык (учебное пособие для юридических учебных заведений»). М. «Щит», 2001.

5. Зеликман А.Я. Английский для юристов.- Ростов н/Д.: Феникс, 2007.

6. Морохова О.А., Бунина В.В. Английский язык. Учебно-методическое пособие. Владимир. ВЮИ Минюста России, 2003.

7. Немировская Э.А. Английский язык для юристов: учебное пособие. М.: Омега-Л, 2009.

8. Подстрахова А.В., Шубникова Е. Английский язык. Учебно-методическое пособие по развитию навыков чтения юридической литературы. Владимир. ВЮИ Минюста России, 2001.