WORDS CONNECTED WITH CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

arrest
- the police do this to someone suspected of a crime
The murderer was arrested as he was trying to cross the border into Switzerland.

arson
- the crime of setting fire to a building
A very serious crime is arson. Not only are buildings destroyed but often the people inside them are killed too.

assault
- to attack someone
Muggers are criminals who assault people in the street and take their money or clothes.

cell
- a prisoner's room in a jail
Some prisons are very overcrowded with more than 4 or 5 prisoners to every cell.

death penalty
- the most terrible and final punishment
In many countries, like Germany for example, the death penalty has been abolished.

evidence
- fingerprints, blood samples, witnesses' statements etc.
The jury didn't think that there was enough evidence that the woman had murdered her husband, and so they found her "Not guilty".

fine
- a money punishment
The punishment for small misdemeanors is usually a fine. For example, you will be fined if you are caught driving above the speed limit.

guard
- person in a jail making sure that prisoners do not escape
Some guards are friendly to the prisoners, while others think it is better to keep their distance.

innocent
- not guilty; not having committed the crime you are accused of
The great problem with the death penalty is the danger that an innocent man will be executed.

investigate
- to find out what has happened or why something has happened
I'm going to investigate what happened at lunch time. Someone broke the window in my room but everyone claims to have seen nothing.

judge
- s/he decides on the punishment of the guilty criminal
The judge sentenced the woman to twenty years in prison after she was found guilty of murdering her husband.

kidnap
- to "steal" a person in order to get a ransom
The children of rich and famous people are in danger of being kidnapped. The kidnappers hope that the parents will pay a large ransom to buy their child free again.

lawyer
- a person who helps someone accused of a crime
If the police suspect you of a serious crime, you had better get yourself a good lawyer!

probation
- giving someone who has committed a crime a second chance
Most young criminals are given a second chance, called probation, to avoid crime in future. If they fail, they are put into prison..

sentence
- the punishment decided on by the judge
The judge sentenced the thief to 6 months in prison and warned him not to steal again.

shoplifter
- someone who steals from a shop
A big problem in many stores are shoplifters . That's why you'll often see cameras on the ceiling that spy on the customers while they are shopping.

smuggling
- bringing tobacco, alcohol or drugs secretly into a country without paying tax
The mafia makes a huge amount of money each year by smuggling drugs into America or Europe from poorer parts of the world like Asia or South America.

statement
- information given by a witness about what he has seen
The police took statements from all those people who had witnessed the accident.

trial
- the process that takes place in court
The trial lasted two months. At the end of it the man was found guilty of murdering his boss and sentenced by the judge to life imprisonment.

witness
- someone who sees a crime or accident
The police interviewed witnesses of the accident to find out exactly how it had happened.

http://esl.fis.edu/vocab/q1/crime.htm (QUIZZES AVAILABLE)