Lesson 9: Penalties
He might actually only get put on probation.

I can talk about penalties for crimes.

INTRODUCE

Penalties for crimes can differ greatly from country to country, so it’s important to be able to talk about them clearly.

PRESENT

STEP A EXPRESSIONS

I. Go over the expressions with your tutor.

    1. The phrase get number months/years in jail is used to explain how long someone will have to be in prison as a punishment.

     

    The actor got six months in jail when he was caught with illegal drugs.

     

     

    2. To pay a fine means to give a certain amount of money to authorities as punishment for a crime.

     

    You should avoid parking your car illegally if you don’t want to pay a fine!

     

     

    3. If someone gets put on probation, it means that he/she is guilty of a crime but does not have to go to jail. Instead, he/she must follow certain rules or conditions set by authorities for a period of time.

     

    She got put on probation for one year, so she can’t freely travel outside the country without telling her probation officer first.

     

    II. What penalties should be given for the crimes below? Use the expressions above.

     

    speeding

    vandalism (graffiti)

    burglary

STEP B PRONUNCIATION

The s at the end of a word is usually pronounced as /z/ when it follows voiced letters like /r/. It’s pronounced as /s/ when it follows voiceless letters like /th/.
Phrase Example

years

/ yeerz /

They got 10 / yeerz / in jail.

months

/ munths /

He got six / munths / in jail.

UNDERSTAND

SPEAKING

Naoki is talking to his Australian coworker Andy about yesterday’s local news.

Naoki:

I read an article about a crazy incident yesterday and immediately thought of you.

Andy:

Oh, yeah?

Naoki:

Some guy allegedly beat up his neighbor over garbage! I couldn’t help but think about the strange neighbor you told me about. Wait, I’ll look for the news article…

Andy:

Oh, yeah, I know all about that! The guy who did it is my scary neighbor! He apparently confessed after the police took him in for questioning.

Naoki:

Are you serious? It’s the same guy who screamed at you for putting a can in the wrong bin?

Andy:

Yup! That’s him!

Naoki:

Whoa! So he’s really violent after all… I’m glad he only screamed at you. Is the victim okay?

Andy:

Yeah, I heard he got out of the hospital last night. And now the loose cannon is apparently facing assault charges… Do you think he’ll actually go to jail?

Naoki:

Well, he could, but it depends on his record. If it’s his first offense, he might actually only get put on probation or be ordered to pay a fine. If he’s committed assault before, though, he could get 15 years in jail.

Andy:

Whoa, that long? Maybe I won’t have to look for a new apartment after all!

TRIVIA

Jail time, fines, and community service are the most common types of penalties for crimes, but in some cases, courts are more creative with their punishments. Here are a few examples:

 

  • USA: parading on a donkey with a written apology (crime: destroying a statue)
  • Philippines: paying a fine of 500 pesos (about 1,140 yen) or singing the country’s national anthem (crime: not using a crosswalk to cross the street)
  • France: writing exactly 466 social media post apologies (crime: cyberbullying)

PRACTICE

STEP A EXERCISE

Fill in the blanks using the expressions in the box. Some expressions may be used more than once, and the form of some expressions may need to be changed.

get number months/years in jail
pay a fine
get put on probation

1. My favorite athlete was found guilty of using drugs and __________.

 

2. You may be ordered to __________ of up to $120 for crossing the street illegally.

 

3. Max got arrested for getting into a fight, but he didn’t get any jail time. He only __________ because he had no previous criminal record.

 

4. If you’re found guilty of tax evasion, you could _________.

STEP B EXERCISE

Rephrase the sentences using the expressions in the box. The form of some expressions may need to be changed.

get number months/years in jail
pay a fine
get put on probation
  1. He’s going to be imprisoned for five years for what he did.
  2. I don’t think she’ll go to jail, but she’ll probably have to follow rules and check in with the police for a year.
  3. If you get caught littering, you might have to give as much as $250 to authorities.

CHALLENGE

Challenge 1

You and your foreign friend are watching the news. You just saw a report about how someone spray painted graffiti on a newly opened store. Talk about vandalism and the penalties for it.

Today's Expressions

  • get number months/years in jail
  • pay a fine
  • get put on probation

Challenge 2

Discuss your ideas.

If Time
Allows
1

PRISON
2

FINES
3

CREATIVE PUNISHMENTS
1

PRISON

  1. Should people in prison be allowed to watch TV or have access to the internet?
  2. Do you agree that people who commit serious crimes should be in prison for the rest of their lives?
  3. Do you think there are any good alternatives to prison (ex. house arrest, community service)?
  4. What’s a crime that you think people should not go to prison for (ex. stealing food)?

2FINES

  1. What kind of offenses do people often have to pay fines for in Japan?
  2. For what kind of offenses do you think just paying a fine is not enough?
  3. How much is too much for a fine?
  4. How should the fines that authorities collect be used?

3CREATIVE PUNISHMENTS

  1. Have you ever heard of a creative punishment for a crime in Japan?
  2. Why do you think some judges choose to give creative punishments?
  3. What types of crimes do you think it’s okay to give creative punishments for?
  4. Do you think it’s okay to give embarrassing penalties (ex. singing, carrying a sign)?

FEEDBACK

I can talk about penalties for crimes.

LESSON GOAL ACHIEVEMENT

  • 4
    Very Good

    Could complete the task with ease

  • 3
    Good

    Could complete the task with some clarifications

  • 2
    Fair

    Could complete the task with additional instructions

  • 1
    Poor

    Could somehow complete the task with difficulty

PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK