Arakin 4 kurs new 001 176. indd

5. Read the text for obtaining the information and further reference.
a) Write out words and expressions connected with the topic ‘US justice 
system’. Translate them into Russian
There are two types of legal cases in the United States: criminal 
and civil.
When a person commits a legal infraction, the result can mean 
criminal charges, civil charges or both. Civil offenses generally involve 
personal disagreements between people or companies. Criminal 
charges arise when an individual breaks the laws of the society, al-
though he may harm an individual as well.
A civil action commences when an individual files a complaint 
against another individual in court. The complaint is the official 
document in which a plaintiff makes charges against the defendant. 
The plaintiff must give a copy of the complaint to a sheriff who then 
serves it with a summons upon the defendant. The summons indicates 
the time period within which the defendant must file his response to 
the attached complaint in court.
A criminal case takes place when a person is arrested for commit-
ting a crime and the government seeks to prosecute the defendant for 
it. That person, the offender or defendant, is moved through the three 
components of the criminal justice system, law enforcement or police, 
the judicial process and the correctional department.
A criminal case begins when a person is arrested for committing a 
crime. The next step is arraignment, when a judge informs a person of 
the specific charges against that very person and determines whether 

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bail should be set. The judge has three options in determining bail: 
releasing a person on his own recognizance; setting bail which must be 
paid for the person to be released from jail; or remanding to jail until 
trial which is most often the case in serious or violent crimes.
While some grand juries are called before an arrest is made, most 
district attorneys request a grand jury after arraignment. The district 
attorney presents the state evidence and an indictment is issued, 
stating the formal charges being brought against the offender. Once 
an indictment is issued, the offender has an option to plea-bargain, 
meaning the offender pleads guilty to the charges in exchange for a 
more lenient sentence.
If the offender does not plea-bargain, the criminal trial begins. The 
stages of the criminal trial are as follows: jury selection, opening state-
ments, district attorney’s case, where district attorney presents evidence 
and witnesses and the defendant has an opportunity to cross-examine 
those witnesses; the defendant’s case, where the defence presents its 
evidence and witnesses, and the district attorney has the opportunity 
to cross-examine witnesses; a charge conference, where the district 
attorney and the defence meet with the judge to determine the spe-
cific charges and instructions that will be given to the jury.
After conclusion of closing arguments, the judge gives instructions 
to the jury. The jury is then sequestered in the jury room and begins 
its deliberations, reviewing all the evidence presented at trial. Once 
the jury reaches a decision, it is brought back into the courtroom. The 
jury presents its verdict to the judge. If the defendant is found guilty, 
the last step is sentencing, determined by the judge.
Penalties can vary greatly, depending on the jurisdiction and the 
severity of the charge. Fines, incarceration, community service, work 
order hours and rehabilitation, educational or vocational classes are 
all common results. In civil cases the remedy for a wrong is most often 
monetary. If the defendant is found liable to the plaintiff, he will have 
to pay the plaintiff or forfeit property but will not serve time in jail.