criminalising
Declaring legally forbidden
Criminalising is the British spelling of criminalizing—making something illegal or treating it as a crime.
Governments criminalise activities through legislation: The new law criminalises possession of certain weapons.
The term often appears in debates about whether prohibition helps or harms: Criminalising drug use hasn't reduced addiction rates.
Pursuing legal charges
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
- convictionFirmly held belief
- arraignmentCharge-reading court session
- trialJudicial examination of claims
defendant · plea · verdict · sentencing · courtroom · judge · jury · testimony
Official restriction on something
- outlawFugitive from justice
- forbidDeclare not allowed
- illegalizeMake unlawful by statute
- proscribeOfficially forbid something
disallow · suppress · restrict · embargo · moratorium · veto · clampdown · taboo
Enacted written rule
- enactmentPassing into law
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- ordinanceOfficial government regulation
- codeSymbolic communication system
act · bill · decree · mandate · proscription · lawmaking · reform · amendment
Serious criminal offense
- misdemeanorLesser criminal charge
- infractionMinor rule breach
- violationBreaking of rules
- contraventionAct violating a rule
illegality · wrongdoing · unlawfulness · illicitness · transgression · breach · delinquency · culpability
Confinement in jail
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
- sentencingImposing legal punishment
- penaltyPunishment for wrongdoing
- detentionTemporary official holding
confinement · custody · probation · parole · sanction · retribution · deterrence · correction
Marking as disgraceful
- marginalizationRelegation to powerless periphery
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
- scapegoatingUnfairly assigning fault to innocents
ostracism · exclusion · stereotyping · prejudice · surveillance · overcriminalization · disproportionality · recidivism
prosecution
Pursuing legal charges
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
- convictionFirmly held belief
- arraignmentCharge-reading court session
trial · defendant · plea · verdict · sentencing · courtroom · judge · jury · testimony · bail
ban
Official restriction on something
- outlawFugitive from justice
- forbidDeclare not allowed
- illegalizeMake unlawful by statute
proscribe · disallow · suppress · restrict · embargo · moratorium · veto · clampdown · taboo · censorship
statute
Enacted written rule
- enactmentPassing into law
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- ordinanceOfficial government regulation
code · act · bill · decree · mandate · proscription · lawmaking · reform · amendment · ratification
felony
Serious criminal offense
- misdemeanorLesser criminal charge
- infractionMinor rule breach
- violationBreaking of rules
contravention · illegality · wrongdoing · unlawfulness · illicitness · transgression · breach · delinquency · culpability
incarceration
Confinement in jail
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
- sentencingImposing legal punishment
- penaltyPunishment for wrongdoing
detention · confinement · custody · probation · parole · sanction · retribution · deterrence · correction · rehabilitation
stigmatization
Marking as disgraceful
- marginalizationRelegation to powerless periphery
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
scapegoating · ostracism · exclusion · stereotyping · prejudice · surveillance · overcriminalization · disproportionality · recidivism · inequality
criminalisinglegalising
Making something legally permitted
decriminalising · legalizing · decriminalizing · permitting · authorising
criminalisingnormalising
Making usual or standard
destigmatising · accepting · tolerating · embracing · endorsing
crime, criminal, incriminate, incrimination, recrimination, incriminating, incriminated, decriminalize, criminalize