Decriminalization
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zh-tw:除罪化 Decriminalization is the process of making an action no longer a criminal act in the relevant jurisdiction.
Such decriminalizations are the result of changing moral views, where a society comes to believe that an act that was criminalized is not as inherently harmful to society as it was believed to be at the time of it's initial criminalization and changes the legislation accordingly. Some activities to be decriminalized in the past, by various societies and governments, include:
- homosexuality
- prostitution
- the possession or use of marijuana
While decriminalized acts are no longer crimes, they may still be the subject of regulation; for example, the licensing and regular medical testing of prostitutes, or a monetary penalty in place of a criminal charge for the possession of a soft drug. This should be contrasted with legalization, which removes all or most legal detriments from an offence.
External links
- Philosophical and ethical foundations of decriminalization (http://samvak.tripod.com/crime.html)