decriminalization
noun/diːˌkɹɪmɪnəlaɪzˈeɪʃən/
Etymology From de- + criminalization or decriminalize + -ation.
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.)
- the decriminalization of all plant-based psychedelics
- Some opponents also said federal decriminalization would contribute to more death and injury from impaired drivers using marijuana.2020 April 12, Deirdre Walsh, “House Approves Decriminalizing Marijuana; Bill To Stall In Senate”, in NPR:
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).
- Most sex work feminists support either the legalization or the decriminalization of sex workers.2012, Sverre Molland, The Perfect Business? Anti-Trafficking and the Sex Trade along the Mekong, University of Hawaii Press, →ISBN, page 38:
- Antonyms
- criminalization
- Related terms
- legalization
- Hypernyms
- legal reclassification