Speaking activity: Crime and Punishment

George Herbert

“Fear follows crime, and is its punishment”

Voltaire

3. 
   Discussion questions
   

1. 
   Which countries do you think have the most crime? Why do you think these countries have more crime?
   
2. 
   Which crimes are common in your country? What crimes do you think will decrease and what crimes do you think will increase in the future? Do you think that there will be more or less crime in the future?
   
3. 
   Have you ever witnessed a crime?
   
4. 
   Do you know anyone who has been a victim of a crime?
   
5. 
   Under what circumstances would you think of committing a crime?
   
6. 
   What do you think is the worst crime a person could commit? Why?
   
7. 
   What makes some people become criminals? Is it poverty, lack of education, unemployment or something else?
   
8. 
   Why do we put people in jail? Is it to keep dangerous people away from society? Do people come out of jail better people?
   
9. 
   What is a "life sentence"? Should it literally mean "life"?
   
10. 
    Should the death penalty exist as a punishment? Are you in favor of capital punishment? What are the arguments for and against?
    
11. 
    Is it a crime to try to kill yourself? What do you think of committing suicide?
    
12. 
    In your country, is it against the law to use a cell phone while driving? Do you think that the use of cell phones while driving should be illegal and punished by law?
    
13. 
    Surveillance cameras can be found in nearly every public place. Do you think that they are necessary? Are there any drawbacks to surveillance cameras?
    
14. 
    Many people download material such as films, music and TV programmes illegally from the Internet. What do you think about it?
    
15. 
    How strict should the law be with people who drink and drive?
    
16. 
    Is television responsible in any way for crime? If so, in what way?
    
17. 
    What about “good conduct”? Should people be allowed out early if they behave themselves?
    
18. 
    Are there any places you are afraid to visit because of the high crime rate? If so, where?
    
19. 
    What would you do if you heard a burglar in your house?
    
20. 
    If two armed thieves break into a house, guns in hand, and the house-owner has a gun, too. The house-owner shoots and kills one of them by mistake, is he guilty of murder? Does he have a legal right to assault them with a weapon?
    
21. 
    If a person steals a loaf of bread because he needs to feed his starving family, should he be punished?
    
22. 
    If I set a trap – a fifty-kilo weight just above the front door – for any burglars who might try and enter the house, am I breaking the law?
    
23. 
    After a divorce or legal separation, can a wife be required to pay alimony to her ex-husband?
    
24. 
    If a boy promises to marry his girl-friend and then change his mind shortly before the wedding, can she take him to the court (Can she sue him)?
    
25. 
    If as a defendant (accused), I am not satisfied with the way my attorney has handled my defense, can I sue him?