CRIMINAL LAW

Criminal law involves prosecution by the government of a person for an act that has
been classified as a crime. Civil cases, on the other hand, involve individuals and
organizations seeking to resolve legal disputes. In a criminal case, the state, through
a prosecutor, initiates the suit, while in a civil case the victim brings the suit. Persons
convicted of a crime may be incarcerated, fined, or both. However, persons found
liable in a civil case may only have to give up property or pay money, but are not
incarcerated.
A "crime" is any act or omission (of an act) in violation of a public law forbidding or
commanding it. Though there are some common law crimes, most crimes in the
United States are established by local, state, and federal governments. Criminal laws
vary significantly from state to state. There is, however, a Model Penal Code (MPC)
which serves as a good starting place to gain an understanding of the basic structure
of criminal liability.
Crimes include both felonies (more serious offenses -- like murder or rape) and
misdemeanors (less serious offenses -- like petty theft or jaywalking). Felonies are
usually crimes punishable by imprisonment of a year or more, while misdemeanors
are crimes punishable by less than a year. However, no act is a crime if it has not been
previously established as such either by statute or common law. Recently, the list of
Federal crimes dealing with activities extending beyond state boundaries or having
special impact on federal operations, has grown.
All statutes describing criminal behavior can be broken down into their various
elements. Most crimes (with the exception of strict-liability crimes) consist of two
elements: an act, or "actus reus," and a mental state, or "mens rea". Prosecutors have
to prove each and every element of the crime to yield a conviction. Furthermore, the
prosecutor must persuade the jury or judge "beyond a reasonable doubt" of every fact
necessary to constitute the crime charged. In civil cases, the plaintiff needs to show a
defendant is liable only by a "preponderance of the evidence," or more than 50%.

Definition from Nolos Plain-English Law Dictionary

Laws written by Congress and state legislators that make certain behavior illegal and
punishable by fines and/or imprisonment. Criminal law also includes decisions by

appellate courts that define crimes and regulate criminal procedure in the absence of
clear legislated rules. By contrast, civil laws are not punishable by imprisonment. In
order to be found guilty of a criminal law, the prosecution must show that the
defendant intended to act as he did; in civil law, you may sometimes be responsible
for your actions even though you did not intend the consequences. For example, civil
law makes you financially responsible for a car accident you caused but didn't intend.
Definition provided by Nolos Plain-English Law Dictionary.
Source: http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/criminal_law

* Se han marcado los verbos en negritas para facilitar el trabajo.

INGLS JURDICO
TRABAJO PRCTICO N2
1) REALICE UNA LECTURA RPIDA DEL TEXTO CRIMINAL LAW? Y BUSQUE LA SIGUIENTE
INFORMACIN:
a) Identifique y extraiga palabras que se repitan.
b) Identifique y extraiga cognados.
c) Encontr extranjerismos? Cules? Cmo se destaca su presencia en el texto? De qu origen
son y qu significan? Se utilizan en castellano en el marco del sistema legal?
c) Identifique los indicadores tipogrficos existentes en el texto y mencinelos.
d) Extraiga ejemplos de sustantivos donde sean evidentes los accidentes que ste puede
presentar. Explique cules.
e) Extraiga algunos pronombres encontrados y clasifquelos.
f) Extraiga ejemplos (si los hay) de sustantivos simples, derivados y compuestos.
2) EN LOS SIGUIENTES BLOQUES NOMINALES:
a) Reconozca qu elementos acompaan al sustantivo ncleo: haga un crculo a las palabras
estructurales, subraye con una lnea los sustantivos ncleos, subraye con dos lneas los adjetivos y
los sustantivos modificadores, y con tres lneas los adverbios.
1. of strict-liability crimes
2. of a public law
3. more serious offenses
4. most crimes
5. criminal law
6. like murder
7. crimes
8. any act
b) Traduzca los bloques nominales trabajados.
3) EN LAS ORACIONES SELECCIONADAS:
a) Haga un crculo a las palabras estructurales.
b) Identifique la funcin de las palabras teniendo en cuenta su forma y posicin en la oracin.
Subraye con una lnea los sustantivos ncleos, recuadre los verbos, subraye con dos lneas los
adjetivos y sustantivos modificadores y con tres lneas los adverbios.
c) Delimite los BLOQUES SIGNIFICATIVOS (nominales y verbales).
h) Busque el significado de los vocablos que no conozca en el diccionario, seleccionando la
acepcin que mejor se adece al contexto.
i) Realice una traduccin lineal, respetando la divisin en bloques y los significados buscados.
4) CONTESTE LAS SIGUIENTES PREGUNTAS SOBRE EL TEXTO LEDO.
a) Al haber un hecho criminal quin procesa a la persona?
b) Qu se considera un crimen?
c) Cmo se clasifican los crmenes y qu delitos incluye cada uno?
d) Qu elementos se tienen en cuenta en la mayora de los crmenes?
e) En el marco del sistema legal norteamericano qu incluyen las leyes criminales adems de las
emitidas por el Congreso y los legisladores estatales?