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.
convicted / condemned
Verurteilt (convicted) refers to the result of a specific court judgment. Vorbestraft (previously convicted), on the other hand, describes the subsequent status of a person who has already been legally convicted and has a criminal record.
Wegen einer früheren Verurteilung ist der Angeklagte bereits vorbestraft.
Because of a previous conviction, the defendant already has a criminal record.
Der Angeklagte wurde wegen Betrugs zu einer Geldstrafe verurteilt.
The defendant was sentenced to a fine for fraud.
