criminalizing
Declaring legally forbidden
Criminalizing is the act of making something illegal or treating it as a crime.
When governments criminalize an activity, they pass laws that attach penalties to it: Several states are considering criminalizing certain types of protest.
The term often appears in debates about social policy, where critics argue that criminalizing behaviors like drug use or homelessness punishes people rather than addressing underlying problems.
Criminalizing poverty doesn't reduce it.
Official restriction on something
- outlawFugitive from justice
- forbidDeclare not allowed
- illegalizeMake unlawful by statute
- proscribeOfficially forbid something
prohibit · bar · disallow · embargo · enjoin · veto · interdict · suppress
Pursuing legal charges
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
- arrestSeize by law
- convictionFirmly held belief
- investigationFormal examination of facts
policing · surveillance · raid · crackdown · compliance · jurisdiction · authority · oversight
Violation of divine law
- viceBad habit or deputy
- transgressionViolation of law or code
- wrongdoingUnethical or illegal action
- immoralityQuality of being wicked
wickedness · taboo · deviance · conscience · scruples · righteousness · moral panic · demonization
Enacted written rule
- ordinanceOfficial government regulation
- enactmentPassing into law
- codificationOrganizing rules into system
- billAmount owed, written
act · decree · edict · code · jurisprudence · lawmaking · regulation · mandate
Marking as disgraceful
- marginalizationRelegation to powerless periphery
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
- scapegoatingUnfairly assigning fault to innocents
labeling · ostracism · exclusion · bias · stereotype · disenfranchisement · overcriminalization · mass incarceration
Confinement in jail
- sentencingImposing legal punishment
- penaltyPunishment for wrongdoing
- sanctionApproval or punitive measure
- detentionTemporary official holding
imprisonment · confinement · probation · parole · fine · correctional · custody · mandatory minimum
ban
Official restriction on something
- outlawFugitive from justice
- forbidDeclare not allowed
- illegalizeMake unlawful by statute
proscribe · prohibit · bar · disallow · embargo · enjoin · veto · interdict · suppress · restrict
prosecution
Pursuing legal charges
- indictmentFormal charge from jury
- arrestSeize by law
- convictionFirmly held belief
investigation · policing · surveillance · raid · crackdown · compliance · jurisdiction · authority · oversight · adjudication
sin
Violation of divine law
- viceBad habit or deputy
- transgressionViolation of law or code
- wrongdoingUnethical or illegal action
immorality · wickedness · taboo · deviance · conscience · scruples · righteousness · moral panic · demonization · condemnation
statute
Enacted written rule
- ordinanceOfficial government regulation
- enactmentPassing into law
- codificationOrganizing rules into system
bill · act · decree · edict · code · jurisprudence · lawmaking · regulation · mandate · directive
stigmatization
Marking as disgraceful
- marginalizationRelegation to powerless periphery
- discriminationUnjust differential treatment
- profilingCharacterizing by patterns
scapegoating · labeling · ostracism · exclusion · bias · stereotype · disenfranchisement · overcriminalization · mass incarceration · racial disparity
incarceration
Confinement in jail
- sentencingImposing legal punishment
- penaltyPunishment for wrongdoing
- sanctionApproval or punitive measure
detention · imprisonment · confinement · probation · parole · fine · correctional · custody · mandatory minimum · retribution
criminalizinglegalizing
Making permissible by statute
decriminalizing · permitting · legitimizing · deregulating · authorizing
criminalizingnormalizing
Making conform to norms
endorsing · accepting · condoning · celebrating · embracing
criminalizingdecriminalizing
Eliminating criminal penalties
tolerating · ignoring · overlooking · deprioritizing · pardoning
crime, criminal, criminals, criminality, incriminate, criminally, recrimination, crimefighter, crimefighting