decriminalization

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The act of making an activity or substance no longer criminalized (no longer a crime, subject to criminal penalties, to perform or possess). (Compare legalization, which often implies regulation.)
  2. The act of ceasing to treat a person as a criminal, by making their activities legal or no longer subjecting them to the criminal justice system (but instead possibly the mental healthcare system, etc).

Pronunciation

dēkrĭ"mĭnəlīzā'shən /diːˌkɹɪmɪnəlaɪzˈeɪʃən/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-decriminalization.wav

Word forms

decriminalization decriminalisation

Etymology

From de- + criminalization or decriminalize + -ation.

Antonyms

Related words

This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.