What is a procedure in a criminal action?
A criminal actionis a lawsuit brought by the state (also known as the people) against a person accused of a crime. If found innocent the person is released. If found guilty, the person is sentenced by the judge. Under law, a person is presumed to be innocent until:
(l)guilt is admitted or,
(2)guilt is proven doubt in a competent court.
Codes of procedure specify in detail the conduct of a trial. This is done to protect the rights of the accused person
The first step is usually an investigation to determine who may have committed a reported crime. The investigators seek evidence to present in court. Usually an arrest warrant(written court order) must be issued by a court for the suspect to be arrested. Upon arrest, the suspect must be booked (fingerprinted and photographed). After the booking, a judge, in a preliminary hearing, determines whether the suspectshall be kept in jail or released on bail.Bail is a sum of money or property deposited or pledged to guarantee that the arrested person will appear for a preliminary hearingor trial. The amount in each case is set by the judge.
In some cases, the accused person may be released on his own recognizance.This means that the suspect promises to appear as scheduled without putting up bail. This usually happens if the accused is a reputable citizen with substantial assets.
For some minor offenses, including most traffic violations, the arresting officer may give the offending person a citation.This is a notice that identifies the offense and directs the person to:
1) appear in court at a specified time if he or she
wants to dispute the charge or
2) pay a prescribed amount without appearing in court.
The amount is a standardized fine for the offense.
In some states and at the federal level, an indictment by a grand jury is required before a person can be brought to trial for a felony (serious crime punishable either by death or by imprisonment for more than one year). An indictmentis a written accusation, which declares that there is sufficient evidence to try the identified individual for a specified crime. A grand juryis a group of citizens selected to hear, in secret, the evidence of alleged crimes submitted by the prosecutor.
One who has not been indicted by a grand jury is given a preliminary hearing before a judge. The purpose of the hearing is to determine from the evidence whether the accused person should be released or held for trial as charged offender. After the filing of the formal charge, the accused person is called the defendant. A defendant is the person against whom a criminal (or civil) action is brought. In a criminal action, the state -- the party bringing suit against the defendant — is known as the prosecution.
Before the criminal trial, the defendant is brought before the court to hear the formal charges. The defendant is also required to plead guilty or not guilty. This court proceeding is known as arraignment. If the defendant pleads guilty, the defendant is sentenced. If the plea is not guilty, the defendant must stand trial.
Vocabulary notes:
| criminal action – уголовное дело | suspect - подозреваемый |
| guilt – вина, виновность | citation – повестка о вызове в суд |
| codes of procedure –процессуальный кодекс | notice – извещен ие, уведомление |
| arrest warrant – ордер на арест | indictment – обвинительное заключение |
| to presume – предполагать | grand jury – большое жюри; присяжные, решающие вопрос о предании суду |
| innocent – невиновный человек | formal charge –формальное обвинение |
| charged offender – обвиняемый | defendant – ответчик; обвиняемый, подсудимый |
| to plead guilty – признать себя виновным | to sentence – выносить приговор |
| to bring (take) an action – возбудить дело | to plead – обращаться с просьбой, ходатайствовать |
| to release on bail – отпустить под залог | plea – заявление, сделанное в суде одной из сторон |
| to pledge – отдавать в залог, закладывать | prosecution – обвинение (сторона в судебном процессе) |
| to book – регистрировать | arraingnment – привлечение к суду; предъявление обвинения |
| preliminary hearing – предварительное расследование (слушание) дела | to stand (undergo) trial – представать перед судом |
| recognizance – подписка о невыезде | lawsuit – судебный процесс; иск; тяжба |
| with substantial assets – обеспеченный, состоятельный | proven - доказанный |
II. Answer the following questions:
1. What is a criminal action?
2. When is a person presumed to be innocent?
3. What are the steps of a trial?
4. What does release on bail mean?
5. What does release on recognizance mean?
6. What is a citation?
7. What is an indictment?
8. What is a grand jury?
9. What are the parties at the criminal trial?
10. When is the defendant sentenced in a criminal law
suit?
III. Match the following terms with their definitions:
| 1. court | a. court that reviews trial court decisions |
| 2. trial court | b. lawsuit brought against a person accuse • of a crime |
| 3. appellate court | c. copy of the written record of a trial |
| 4. transcript | d. promise of the accused person to- appear in court, without posting bail |
| 5. criminal action | e. group of citizens selected to hear evidence of alleged felonies |
| 6. bail | f. court where a dispute is first heard |
| 7. recognizance | g. person against whom a criminal (or civil) action is brought |
| 8. citation | h. tribunal established to administer justice |
| 9. indictment | i. deposit of money to guarantee appearance at one's trial |
| 10. grand jury | j. order requiring a defendant to appear in court proceeding where the defendant pleads guilty |
| 11. defendant | k. court or not guilty to the formal charge of a crime |
| 12. prosecution | 1. state as the party bringing a legal action against a person accused of a crime |
| 13. arraignment | m. accusation by a grand jury declaring there is reason to try a person for a crime |
IV. The word DEFENDANT has the following meanings in Russian:
Ответчик
civil defendant – ответчик
Обвиняемый
bailed defendant –обвиняемый или подсудимый, освобожденный (из-под стражи) под залог
Подсудимый
judgement for the defendant – судебное решение в пользу ответчика или подсудимого
Подзащитный
representation of defendant – представительство интересов подзащитного или подсудимого
Match the following English expressions with their Russian equivalents:
| 1. convicted defendant | a. подсудимый, содержащийся под стражей |
| 2. defendant in custody | b. осужденный |
| 3. defendant’s record | c. досье подсудимого |
| 4. defendant’s story | d. свидетель, выставленный ответчиком/ подсудимым |
| 5. defendant’s witness | e. версия, выдвинутая обвиняемым |
TEXT 2C
I. Read and translate the text. Sum up the information you’ve learned from it:
WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE IN A CIVILACTION?
A person injured by the wrongful conduct of another may be able to obtain relief from the court and bring a civil action against the wrongdoer.
A civil action involves two parties. Each of these parties may consist of one or more persons. The party who brings a civil action in order to enforce a private right is the plaintiff. The party against whom the civil action is brought is the defendant.
In state courts, the plaintiff begins a civil action by filling of a complaint with the clerk of the court. This step is usually done by the attorney for the plaintiff. The complaint states the plaintiff’s claims, which allegedly justifythe relief demanded.
Next, the defendant must be properly served with a copy of the complaint and with a summons. The summons is a court order, obtained by the plaintiff, which directs the defendant to answer the complaint. The defendant normally files an answer (statement in reply). In the answer, the defendant may do any one of the following:
1. Declare that even if the acts alleged in the complaint are true, they do not constitute a wrong for which the defendant had any duty to pay or otherwise act. This is an issue of law which is decided by the judge in a hearing.
2. Deny the truth of the facts alleged in the complaint. This raises an issue of fact. The dispute can then proceed to trial.
3. Admit the facts alleged but introduce other facts that excuse the defendant from liability. The dispute can then proceed to trial.
If the defendant does not answer the complaint within the time allowed (generally not more than 20 days), the plaintiff may with case be default judgment.
Both parties may engage in discovery procedures. These pretrial procedures are done under court order to obtain facts about the case and to identify the issues in dispute that require decision at the trial. A very frequently used discovery procedure is the deposition. In a deposition, parties and witnesses are questioned under oath by the opposing attorneyusually in the office of one of the attorneys, and in the presence of a court reporter, who makes a written record of what is said. Depositions and other discovery procedures, such as physical examinations of persons claiming they were injured, help the attorneys learn the facts before the trial. The process greatly assists both attorneys in preparing for the trial and often leads to out-of-court settlements.
At this point, a pretrial hearing may be held by the judge and the attorneys to specify what issues of fact must be decided at the trial. Often, an attempt is made to resolve the differences without trial. If the attorneys cannot compromise and agree on some settlement, either party may ask the court to set a date for the trial.
Vocabulary notes:
| to bring a civil action – возбудить гражданский иск (дело) | issue – предмет тяжбы |
| plaintiff –истец | issue of law – вопросы права |
| defendant – ответчик | issue of fact – фактическая сторона дела (спорный вопрос, когда одна сторона отрицает факты, приводимые другой стороной) |
| claim – иск; претензия | to introduce – приводить |
| to justify – оправдывать, объяснять, подтверждать | to serve - вручать |
| alleged – утверждаемый | to deny - отрицать |
| allegedly – будто бы, якобы | to win the case – выиграть дело |
| relief demanded – требуемая помощь | opposing attorney – прокурор |
| complaint – иск, жалоба | court reporter – протоколист суда |
| filing of complaint – подача иска | under oath – под присягой |
| attorney – адвокат; юрист | default judgment – заочное решение суда в пользу истца (вследствие неявки ответчика) |
| constitute a wrong – составлять правонарушение | discovery procedures – процедура нахождения документов, которые могли бы послужить поддержкой в доказательстве требований той или иной стороны |
| summons – судебная повестка, вызов в суд | deposition – письменное показание под присягой |
| answer – возражение ответчика | to file – обращаться (с заявлением, прошением), подавать какой-л. документ (for; with) |
| otherwise – иначе, иным способом; по-другому | default – неявка в суд |
| liability – ответственность | out-of-court settlement – внесудебное урегулирование; соглашение |
| to excuse from liability - освобождать от ответственности | pretrial hearing – предварительное разбирательство дела судьей и адвокатами |
| to enforce a private right – осуществить личные права |
II. Answer the following questions:
1. What are the two parties to the civil action?
2. Who files the complaint?
3. What is an answer?
4. What is a deposition?
5. What may the defendant do in an answer to the claim?
6. What are the discovery procedures needed for?
7. What is the role of a court reporter?
8. What is a pretrial hearing?
III. Match the following terms with their definitions:
| 1. answer | a. one who brings a civil action |
| 2. complaint | b. conference of the judge with the opposing attorneys before the trial |
| 3. default judgment | c. court-ordered means of getting facts about the dispute from the opposing party and witnesses before the trial |
| 4. deposition | d. judgment given (without a trial) to the plaintiff when the defendant fails to answer the complaint |
| 5. discovery procedures | e. pretrial questioning of the opposing party and wit nesses under oath |
| 6. plaintiff | f. defendant’s statement in reply to the plaintiff’s complaint |
| 7. pretrial hearing | g. court order directing the defendant to answer the plaintiff’s complaint |
| 8. summons | h. first paper in a civil action, filed by the plaintiff, stating the claim for judgment |
IV. Math the following English expressions with their Russian equivalents:
| 1. evidence for the plaintiff | a. вызывать истца в суд |
| 2. judgment for the plaintiff | b. выступать в суде в качестве адвоката истца |
| 3. plaintiff’s claim | c. доказательства в пользу истца |
| 4. to appear to the plaintiff | d. исковое требование |
| 5. to call the plaintiff | e. свидетель, выставленный истцом |
| 6. witness by the plaintiff | f. судебное решение в пользу истца |
V. The Russian expression СУДЕБНЫЙ ПРОЦЕСС has the following equivalents in English: