Read the text and translate it. While reading the text try and find answers to these questions.

1. What is the difference between manslaughter and murder?

2. What are the adopted degrees of murder under a number of statutes?

3. What elements are necessary to constitute a punishable homicide?

4. Why is the use of force (and even killing a person) sometimes considered justifiable?

5. In what cases is criminal responsibility for homicide imposed?

Homicide is the taking of a human life. As defined by statute in most states, felonious homicide is either murder, in one of the specified degrees, or manslaughter, depending upon the presence or absence of premeditation, malice or deliberation, or upon the fact that the homicide was committed during the perpetration of another felony. The Latin term “corpus delicti” means the “body of the offense,” or the substance of the crime. As applied in homicide cases in most jurisdictions it has at least two component elements which must be established: (1) the fact of death, and (2) the criminal agency of another person as the cause of death. In some states, the identity of the slain person is a third element.

Criminal responsibility for a homicide is not imposed unless the accused's act was the cause of death. Many jurisdictions follow the common law rule that, in order to constitute punishable homi­cide, death must ensue within a year and a day from the infliction of a mortal wound. Murder, which is generally defined as the killing of one human being by another with malice aforethought, either express or implied, is the subject of statutes which divide the crime into two or more degrees. Homicides under such statutes fall into three classes:

(1) where death is accomplished with deliberation, as by means of poison or lying in wait;

(2) where it results from the commission of a felony, there being no actual design to encompass death;

(3) where death results from a dangerous act, evidencing a depraved mind having no regard for human life.

First degree murder is distinguished from other grades of homicide primarily by the mental element known as “malice aforethought” or “express” malice; the unique characteristic of this degree of murder is deliberation or premedi­tation, a design to take life. The essential premeditation or deliberation need exist for only a very brief period, provided the formed intent to kill was consciously conceived in the mind of the slayer before the homicidal act was committed. Some statutes define second degree murder as a killing perpe­trated by any act imminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual.

Vocabulary notes

Vocabulary work

4. Find in the text the English for:

1) состав преступления;

2) преднамеренный план;

3) заранее обдуманный (выношенный) злой умысел;

4) уголовная ответственность;

5) опасное действие;

6) преступное деяние;

7) совершение (уголовного) преступления;

8) нанесение смертельного ранения;

9) отдельно взятая личность;

10) убийство первой (второй) степени;

11) тяжкое телесное повреждение;

12) внезапно вспыхнувшая ссора;

13) зверское преступление;

14) убийство человека без злого умысла;

15) совершение преступления, связанного с насилием (против личности);

16) полицейский, находящийся при исполнении служебных обязанностей;

17) применение силы;

18) предотвратить совершение преступления;

19) при подобных обстоятельствах;

20) причина смерти.

5. Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right:

6. Match the words on the right with the suitable attributes on the left:

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