criminalization

American  

[kri-muh-nuh-lahy-zay-shuhn] / ˌkrɪ mə nə laɪˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

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

2. the process of turning someone into a criminal.

---

Explanation

Criminalization is the act of making something criminal, or making it against the law. When the U.S. Congress made it illegal to consume or sell alcohol in 1920, that criminalization of drinking ushered in a historic period known as Prohibition. Any activity can be criminalized, or go through a process of criminalization. When Sleeping Beauty's parents banished shuttlecocks and spinning wheels from their fairy tale kingdom, that was the criminalization of spinning. The word can also apply more generally to not just to the outlawed activity, but to people or practices associated with it. Thus, a law making it a crime to eat candy might be called "the criminalization of Halloween." And crime or not, that's just wrong.

Example Sentences

Since the announcement, there’s been an air of fear among advocates, outreach staff, and people sleeping outside about whether this would be a turning point in D.C.’s criminalization of homelessness.

From Slate • Sep. 1, 2025

Menu to Órale, an immigrant-led movement fighting to end the criminalization of immigrant communities.

From Salon • Jun. 17, 2025

But deemphasizing criminalization would be a good starting point.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2025

Critics have argued that such criminalization is a cruel distraction and that more affordable housing is the only way to meaningfully address the crisis.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2024

For starters, criminalization is plainly cruel because people experiencing homelessness have nowhere else to go.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 31, 2024