offender

OAJ suggests following the style of the Prison Journalism Project when it comes to terms such as inmate, convict, and offender.

Per the PJP, those terms are defined this way:

  • Offender — in general, a person who commits an illegal act.
  • Inmate — a person confined to an institution such as a prison.
  • Convict — a person found guilty of a criminal offense and serving a sentence of imprisonment.

However, when interviewing or discussing a person who is incarcerated or person who is in jail, it is important to remember that, despite the nature of the crimes with which people or convicted, as journalists we should remain neutral and thus use neutral language. The most neutral of language is a person’s name, which is their identity; it is also the most human.

Also see identity-first language and person-first language.

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