The Department of Justice has apparently been phasing out the use of the word “criminal” to describe well, criminals and "convict" or "ex-convict" to describe former prison inmates. On the DOJ website the newer term, “justice-involved individual,” can be traced back to 2009. However, the term has seen more and more daylight over the last couple of years.
This is from a DOJ release on April 25:
In an effort to help young people involved in the justice system find jobs and housing, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced $1.75 million for Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and nonprofit legal service organizations to address the challenges justice-involved individuals face when trying to find work and a place to call home.
Even U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch is using the term:
The future of our nation depends upon the future of our young people – including young people who have become involved with our justice system. By helping justice-involved youth find decent jobs and stable housing after they return home, these critical grants provide a foundation for a fresh start and offer a path towards productivity and purpose. In the months ahead, the Department of Justice will continue helping justice-involved youth enrich their lives and improve our country.
Lynch can’t even say that youths have broken the law. Instead she uses the phrase, “young people who have become involved with our justice system,” MRC TV reports.
