offender

Offender is a legal term used in the context of criminal law to refer to a person convicted of committing a crime or offense . An adult offender is a person convicted of committing a crime after reaching the legal age of majority. A young offender (usually called a juvenile delinquent ) is a person convicted of committing a crime during late adolescence or early adulthood but before reaching the legal age of majority.

A first offender is a person convicted of committing a crime for the first time. Under the U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines Manual , a career offender is an adult offender who commits a felony that is either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense after being convicted of two prior crimes of violence or controlled substance offenses.

[Last reviewed in July of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team ]

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