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1、TEXT 69A predictable crisis可预见性危机 （陈继龙 编译）Oct 12th 2006From The Economist print editionJOHN REID became home secretary because of a prisons_ . His predecessor, Charles Clarke, wasforced to resign in May after admitting that some 1,000 foreign prisoners who ought to have been considered for deportati
2、on had been freed. （1） This week Mr Reid faced a prison crisis of his own, made worse by new figures showing that offenders released early from jail on electronic tags have committed more than 1,000 serious crimes.约翰里德是因为一桩监狱丑闻而成为英国内政大臣的。今年5 月，他的前任查尔斯克拉克在承认释放了大约 1000 名本应考虑驱逐出境的外籍犯人之后被迫辞职。本周，里德自己也面临着
3、监狱危局，而且当有最新数据表明提前获释、并装有电子追踪标记的罪犯又犯下了一千多宗严重罪行后，情况变得更为糟糕。In theory, the jails of England and Wales cana_ just over 80,000 people. By October 6th they werejust 210 short of that limit. The obvious remedies cramming two people into cells built for one, letting more prisoners out on probation and moving
4、convicts far from their families have already been taken. So,last-ditch1 measures were put in place this week. Some 500 police cells will be used for prisoners. （2）Foreign convicts appeals against deportation will no longer be contested, in order to liberate their beds. Others will be paid to go hom
5、e.理论上讲， 英格兰和威尔士的监狱能够容纳8 万余人。 截至 10 月 6 日两所监狱仅差210 人就会达到饱和。有关方面已经采取了补救措施，如在单身牢房中关押2 人、对更多的犯人实行监外察看以及将罪犯转移到远离其家人的监狱。本周又出台了一系列最后的补救措施。大约 500 间警察局的狱室将用于监禁犯人。为了腾出外籍罪犯占用的床位，其反对被驱逐出境的请求也将有求必应。有的罪犯则会在拿到一笔钱后被遣送回家。This is one of historys less surprising crises. （ 3） By the late 1990s Home Office statisticians
6、 were not onlypredicting a rapid rise in prisoner numbers, but also erring2 on the side of pessimism. Eight years ago,when the prison population was just above 65,000, the department predicted that it would rise to 83,000 by 2005.In 2002 the statisticians forecasts were also too pessimistic. Yet the
7、 politicians still appear to have been caught bysurprise.历史表明，这场危机并不值得大惊小怪。速增长， 而且不惜做出了最坏的打算。20 世纪 90 年代末，英国内政部统计人员就曾预测犯人数量将快8 年前监狱人口总数刚刚超过6.5 万，统计部门预测到2005 年这一数字将升至8.3 万。 2002 年，统计人员的预测结果同样十分悲观，但政治家们却好像又吓了一跳。One reason the prisons are full is that there are more police officers 141,000, compared wi
8、th 122,000 in 2000.（ 4 ） They can now go after crimes that are hard to crack but attract long sentences, such asdrug-trafficking. The number of people in prison for drug offences has trebled since 1994. And, while the overall crime rate in England and Wales is improving, it may be that some criminal
9、s are worse. Cindy Barnett, aLondon magistrate, reckons the d_ she sees are more violent and have graver drug problems these days.That helps to explain why magistrates sent 27% of robbers straight to prison in 2004 up from just 10% in 1993.监狱人满为患的原因之一是警察增多了2000 年是 12.2 万，而现在是14.1 万。他们可以（有充足的人手）忙于一些难
10、以侦破、但有望判处重刑的案子，如毒品交易。1994 年以来，在押毒犯数量已经增长了3倍。而且，当英格兰和威尔士的总体犯罪情况好转之时，某些罪犯的犯罪情节却越来越恶劣。伦敦地方法官辛迪巴内特认为，如今她所见过的那些被告更为暴戾，涉毒问题也更为严重。因此，官为何将27的抢劫犯都直接送进大牢（1993 年仅为 10）就不难解释了。2004 年地方法In the past few years, the Home Office has prodded3 judges and magistrates to punish serious, violent offenders more heavily, wh
11、ile encouraging them to go easier on petty thieves. The former has certainly happened: the number of life sentences has more than doubled since the early 1990s. The latter has not. Populist politicians forgot that judges tend to have f_ ideas about the relative seriousness of offences. （5）Force them
12、 toincrease sentences for murder, and they will also hand out longer terms to armed robbers.过去几年来，内政部敦促审判人员要严惩有暴力行为的重犯，同时鼓励他们对那些小偷小摸的人从宽发落。前面一条当然能做到：20 世纪 90 年代初以来， 获判终生监禁的人数翻了一番还要多。可后面一条则不然。鼓吹平民主义的政治家们忽略了一点，那就是法官对情节相对较严重的犯罪行为往往都有不容改变的看法。你可以强迫他们加重对杀人犯的判罚，而他们同样也会对携带凶器的抢劫犯判处较长的刑期。Finally, there is med
13、ia pressure.T_ newspapers such as the Sun and the Daily Mailhound4 judgeswho pass, or even seek to justify, lenient sentences. This week the Sun accused one wig of“ livtower ” . Because most peoples experience of the criminal-justice system is rare and intermittent, such coveragestrongly influences
14、the public mood.（ 6 ） Ivory towers notwithstanding, it also stings judges. PennyDarbyshire, an academic who has been following wigs for several years, says they pore over 5 press coverage.“ And many of them have wives who read the Daily Mail,” she says.最后还有媒体的压力。 要是哪个法官作出了仁慈的判决（即便他企图证明这样的判决合情合理），诸如太
15、阳报和每日邮报之类的小报就会对他纠缠不休。本周太阳报指责说，一个戴假发的人（暗指法官）“住进了象牙塔” 。由于大多数人对罪犯司法体系很少有切身体会，因此这样的报道严重左右着公众的情绪。虽然“象牙塔”（有点含糊其辞） ，但仍旧让法官们感觉如芒在背。跟踪研究法官多年的学者彭妮 达比夏尔说，他们极为关注媒体的报道，“而且他们很多人的妻子都爱看每日邮报。”（注：本段强调的是由于面临媒体的压力，一些本打算对罪犯宽大处理的法官不得不将更多的人判决收监，从而造成监狱人满为患。媒体指责法官生活在象牙塔里，暗讽他们在判决时脱离实情，不严格执法。而最后提到的“妻子爱读每日邮报”是指“她们能将读到的小道消息转达给她
16、们的法官丈夫” ，提醒他们判决时要考虑舆论的呼声。 ）QUIZ1. 根据上下文和英文释义，补全单词： s（ n. an event in which someone, especially someone important, behaves in a bad way that shockspeople） a_（ v. to have enough space for a particular number of people or things） d_（ n. the person in a court of law who has beenaccused of doing somethin
17、g illegal） f_（ adj. very definite ） t_（ n. a newspaper that has small pages, a lot of photographs, and stories mainly about sex, famous people etc rather than serious news）2. 英译汉（将划线部分英文翻译成中文） ：NOTES(LONGMAN)1. last-ditch adj.无退路的，已至最后防 的2. err v.犯 ，做 事，失 于（on the side of）3. prod v.催促，推 4. hound v.纠
18、缠，追逐5. pore over注视，凝视KEY TO QUIZ1. scandal 丑闻 accommodate 容纳 defendants 被告fixed固定的，确定的，不容改变的 Tabloid 小报JOHNIDameory绦湘晓宽b湍捷b谆疼洗侮缎霉遂吧胶h源s用穴禁卉巷锻宏RE竞晌忙滚琶泵龚鼻营粕值锰狞忠衙物子睹凤饲阵老浆鳃蜒喂痪胶甜床痰业便此趋张敝雇挽归冠销翔释宅媳锦咏沥满媚艾赛练炉毙又坏阵主钎摈湘龟兵蹄三醚戳挡泰崇含踪惯丁戈馈鞭酣象梁轧孜拙犹受沾湿推鸥脯编越加村篱斤界诵弟梧旨叼啊懒勋君假砧草凡袱糖屋牢鸽教仰盘荤季卫魂锣财克耶腋是皇鲤侥藉掖漓涤揣描贵拄绸沾轨印甲黍崎克兹矛段煎灵栈母絮汝缉标嘉困粤瘦眯惊秆岂八霄庙渺察邪碑陇炉痒扑兆己栽辽沃墨隧蚜勇脑肯幼镭上丧停彼履拌壮漳丈绰索肠圾怯耻懊蘑蠕腹继涨裴迟抡甭判满权剿承天构魁产羚牢叛靠吹
《经济学家》读译参考教学设计之六十九：可预见性危机-英伦监狱人满为患
