Unit 4, Crimes and Social Problems

Word

Definition

Example

accused

the person who is on trial in a law court:

The accused said she was home alone all evening, but of course it was impossible to be sure

evidence

one or more reasons for believing that something is or is not true

There was very little evidence against him, so the police released him

fine

an amount of money that has to be paid as a punishment for not obeying a rule or law

You'll get a fine if they catch you on the train without a ticket

guilty

having done something that is a crime

The thief was guilty because his fingerprints matched the ones found at the crime scene

imprisonment

the state of being in prison, or the time someone spends there

He got life imprisonment for the robbery and his wife got two years for not telling the police what she knew

judge

the official in control of a court, who decides how criminals should be punished

The judge delivered the final sentence after the accused was found guilty by the jury

jury

a group of often 12 ordinary people who listen to the details of a case in court and decide whether someone is guilty or not

I'd love to be on a jury – I think it would be really interesting to be in a court and see how it works

justice

fairness in the way people are treated

In some parts of the world it's very hard to get justice, particularly if you are in a minority group

trial

a legal process in which a judge and often a jury in a court of lawexamine information to decide whether someone is guilty of a crime 

The trial lasted for four months and then, because of a problem, they had to stop and start again

verdict

an official decision made in a court of law, especially about whether someone is guilty of a crime or how a death happened

We have no idea what the verdict will be – it's impossible to predict what might happen

victim

someone who has been attacked, robbed, or murdered

We could hardly understand the victim in court because he was crying and in such distress

beat up

hit or kick sb many times to hurt them

They beat him up and stole his phone, but he'll be all right

break in

enter a building in order to steal sth

The thieves broke in by smashing a window

come forward

offer help or information

A young man came forward to help the police with their investigation

get away with

manage to do sth bad without being punished

How did they get away with robbing the bank?

hold up

steal from sb by threatening violence, usually with a weapon

The robbers held up a bank in the city centre yesterday

let off

give sb little or no punishment

I can't believe you let Ed off with just a warning!

make for

move towards a place

When the fire alarm went off, everyone made for the car park

turn in

tell the police about sb

His mother found stolen goods in his car so she turned him in

crime lab

facility where analyses are performed on evidence generated by crimes or, sometimes, civil infractions

The fingerprint results should be back from the crime lab soon

crime prevention

strategies and measures that seek to reduce the risk of crimes occurring, and their potential harmful effects on individuals and society

We had a chat at school about crime prevention

crime rate

the ratio between the number of felonies and misdemeanours recorded by the police and gendarmerie and the population in question

The crime rate around here has fallen dramatically

crime scene

the place where an offence has been committed and forensic evidence may be gathered

Members of the public were kept away from the crime scene

crime wave

a sudden increase in the number of crimes committed in a country or area

The police have promised to tackle the recent crime wave

hate crime

a crime, typically one involving violence, that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds

They said that the attack on the disabled man was a hate crime

organised crime

criminal activities that are planned and controlled by powerful groups and carried out on a large scale

Large gangs are responsible for a lot of organised crime

petty crime

a minor, less serious crime

After a life of petty crime, Ethan found himself in jail

youth crime

crime committed by juvenile offenders

Do you think boredom is the cause of a lot of youth crime?

burgle

to enter a building illegally and steal things

When they got back from their holiday they found that their home had been burgled

burglary

the crime of illegally entering a building and stealing things

Several men were questioned by police yesterday about the burglary

burglar

a person who illegally enters buildings and steals things

It was brave of you to chase after the burglar

grow

to increase in size or amount, or to become more advanced or developed

Children grow so quickly

growing

increasing in size or quantity

There is a growing awareness of the seriousness of this disease

growth

process of increasing in size

A balanced diet is essential for healthy growth

prevent

to stop something from happening or someone from doing something

Label your suitcases to prevent confusion

preventable

able to be prevented or avoided

Many of these diseases are preventable

preventive

designed to keep something undesirable such as illness or harm from occurring

He believes preventive measures could be taken to help control costs

prevention

the act of stopping something from happening or of stopping someone from doing something

The organization is committed to AIDS prevention and education

satisfy

to please someone by giving them what they want or need

They have 31 flavours of ice cream - enough to satisfy everyone!

dissatisfy

fail to satisfy (someone)

What is it about these words that dissatisfies you?

satisfying

giving fulfilment or the pleasure associated with this

These are very satisfying books

satisfactory

good or good enough for a particular need or purpose

The teachers seem to think his work is satisfactory

satisfaction

a pleasant feeling that you get when you receive something you wanted, or when you have done something you wanted to do

She looked at the finished painting with satisfaction

shock

a sudden, unexpected, and usually unpleasant event or experience

Her mother's death came as a great shock - it was so unexpected

shocking

offensive, upsetting, or immoral

There are few crimes more truly shocking than the murder or abuse of children

shockingly

in a way that is offensive, upsetting, or immoral

Stories of abused and battered children are shockingly familiar

understand

to know the meaning of something that someone says

he explained the whole idea again, but I still didn't understand

misunderstand

to think you have understood someone or something when you have not

I told him I'd meet him here, but perhaps he misunderstood and went straight to the restaurant

understandable

easy to understand

You have to put the facts into a form that's understandable to everyone

understanding

knowledge about a subject, situation, etc. or about how something works

She doesn't have any understanding of politics

vandal

a person who intentionally damages property belonging to other people

Vandals smashed windows and overturned cars in the downtown shopping district

vandalise

to intentionally damage property belonging to other people

When I got back, my car had been vandalised

vandalism

the crime of intentionally damaging property belonging to other people

These schools are known to be vulnerable to vandalism

young

having lived or existed for only a short time and not old

His girlfriend's very young

youngster

a young person, usually an older child

The scheme is for youngsters between the ages of ten and 16

youth

the period of your life when you are young, or the state of being young

I was a fairly good football player in my youth

youthfulness

the quality of being similar to or typical of young people

His face retained a youthfulness that his wife's had lost