填空题Text 5 Why crime has risen so
much further and faster in Britain than in any other rich country over the past
half-century is anybody's guess, maybe it's the result of near-American levels
of relative poverty and family breakdown combined with a European reluctance to
bang up quite such a large proportion of the population as America does. Anyway,
the long-term causes are of less immediate interest to the government than a
short-term solution. Popular concern about crime is rising: 23% of people rated
it as one of the most important issues for the government at the beginning of
this year; 34% do now. An official report concluding that the
criminal justice system is failing has added to the government's problems. The
Audit Commission, the government's watchdog, says that the police too often
charge suspects with the wrong offences, use inaccurate computerized information
and face serious inefficiencies in the forensic science (the use of scientific
methods by the police) service. Court delays alone are costing taxpayers￡80m
($120m) a year. The result is that few criminals are brought to justice and even
fewer convicted. Only 6% of the more than 5m offences recorded by the police
last year resulted in a conviction. Hardly surprising, then, that more than half
the public believes that the criminal justice system is ineffective.
The main purpose of the White Paper published last year is to address
concerns that the procedures of the court are weighted too heavily against the
prosecution. It includes many sensible and uncontroversial proposals. It asks
for more support for witnesses, many of whom are frightened of testifying. A
survey of one London court found that, of 140 witnesses called in a two-week
period, only 19 actually turned up. Making juries more
representative must also make sense. Getting off jury service is too easy. In
some London courts, two-thirds of those called for jury service fail to turn up.
As a result, juries are often composed of housewives, the unemployed and the
retired. The White Paper recommends a check on professionals' getting off
service, who can excuse themselves by saying their work is too important, and
proposes penalties for those who fail to comply. Other
proposed reforms will be more controversial. At present, no defendant can be
tried for the same offence twice even if compelling new evidence emerges. The
government's plan to scrap that law will be resisted by civil liberties
campaigners, as will the proposal that previous convictions should be disclosed
in open court if they are relevant to the case being heard.
Whether or not such proposals make it into law, the White Paper did not do much
to address public concerns. The reason why 94% of crimes do not result in a
conviction is that three-quarters of them are not cleared up, and so nobody is
charged. That is the fault of the police, not the courts; and that is the part
of the criminal justice system that the government needs to focus on if it is to
make a difference. [A] use insufficient computerized
information. [B] the work of the police, not that of the
courts. [C] a short-term solution rather than the long-term
causes. [D] the mistaken offences. [E] most
of those called for jury duty are absent. [F] to address
public concerns. [G] who are afraid of appearing in
court.
填空题
According to the text, the government would pay more attention to ______
填空题
The suspects are too often accused of ______
填空题
The White Paper proposes more aid for witnesses ______
填空题
In some London courts, ______
填空题
The part of the criminal justice system that needs improvement is concerned with ______