criminalization

[kri-muh-nuh-lahy-zay-shuhn]

noun

1. the act, by legislators, of making something punishable as a crime.

2. the process of turning someone into a criminal.

Example Sentences

Such arguments, they say, can be used to justify the criminalization of minority groups or silence dissent.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Mexico, Central America, South America and Canada, questioning the man-made borders, land ownership, and criminalization of migration that has defined the political landscape.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Homeless advocacy organizations saw those edicts as a push for criminalization of homelessness and mental illness.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The Pregnancy Justice report showed that low-income women were particularly targeted by pregnancy criminalization as well.

Read more on Salon

“The exponential surveillance since 9/11 has also intensified the criminalization of marginalized and racialized groups… and has increasingly targeted protest movements such as Black Lives Matter.”

Read more on Salon