previously convicted
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previously convicted
Having been legally convicted of a criminal offense by a court and therefore having an entry in the criminal record.
Bewerber für den Polizeidienst dürfen nicht vorbestraft sein.
Applicants for the police service must not have been previously convicted.
The word is made up of 'vor-' (before) and 'bestraft' (past participle of 'bestrafen', to punish). So it literally describes the state of having already been 'punished before.'
Wer vorbestraft ist, kann bestimmte Berufe nicht ausüben.
Someone who has a criminal record cannot practice certain professions.
'Vorbestraft' (previously convicted) is a term from administrative and legal language. You often find it in official documents, job ads for public service positions, or in the news.
Für die Einbürgerung darf man in der Regel nicht vorbestraft sein.
For naturalization, you generally must not have been previously convicted.
To state the reason for the prior conviction, the preposition 'wegen' (because of / for) is used, followed by the offense in the genitive. In colloquial speech, the dative is often used as well.
Der Mann war wegen Diebstahls vorbestraft.
The man had a prior conviction for theft.
criminal
'kriminell' and 'vorbestraft' both have to do with criminal offenses, but they do not mean the same thing. 'kriminell' describes an action or a person as criminal or unlawful. 'vorbestraft' means that a person has already been convicted by a court and has an entry in their criminal record. The words can be confused because a previously convicted person committed a criminal offense in the past. But not every criminal act immediately means that someone is 'vorbestraft'. 'kriminell' describes the behavior; 'vorbestraft' describes a person's legal status.
Der Bewerber musste angeben, ob er vorbestraft ist.
The applicant had to state whether he had any previous convictions.
Der Verkauf gefälschter Ausweise ist kriminell.
Selling forged identity cards is criminal.