A criminal is a person who has commited crimes. Criminals are often caught by the police, tried by the courts and if convicted receive punishment such as a term in prison.
Matters related to criminal behavior in society is studied in the field of sociology on the sub-field of criminology, and a person who studies this is called a criminologist. Psychological assessment of criminals is studied by psychologists.
The term "criminal" is sometimes used as a derogatory accusation of a person when viewing an act attributed to him/her as dangerous or destructive towards other pepole, or property. However, legaly, in almost all jurisdictions, it is accteptable that a person is not guilty until convicted, thus may not be called a "criminal" until proven guilty.
See also law, crime, punishment, deterrence, prison, war criminal.
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