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Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Prisons, Probation & Parole

Criminal record

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˌkrɪmɪnl ˈrekɔːd/nounCore term

In criminal law & justice, criminal record means: An official list of the crimes a person has been convicted of, which employers or authorities may check in some situations.

In Turkish: adli sicil kaydı, sabıka kaydı, sabıka

How it is used

People 'have' or 'do not have' a criminal record; 'a clean record' means no convictions. Employers in sensitive jobs carry out 'criminal record checks'. Some convictions are removed from the record or no longer need to be declared after a certain time.

Example sentences

  1. Applicants for the job must not have a criminal record.

  2. He had no criminal record before the incident.

  3. A criminal record can make it harder to get a visa.

Common collocations

  • have a criminal record
  • clean record
  • criminal record check
  • previous convictions
  • convictionAn official decision by a court that someone is guilty of a crime; also a past crime recorded against a person.
  • offenderA person who has committed a crime, especially one who has been convicted; the word is common in sentencing, prisons and probation.
  • reoffendTo commit another crime after being punished for an earlier one.
  • rehabilitationThe process of helping an offender change their behaviour and return to a normal life without committing more crimes.

More terms: Prisons, Probation & Parole

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.