Legal Definitions - career criminal

Definition: A career criminal is someone who has been convicted of multiple criminal offenses, usually similar in nature. They are also known as a recidivist, habitual offender, habitual criminal, or repeater.

Example: John has been arrested and convicted of burglary three times in the past five years. He is considered a career criminal because he has repeatedly committed the same type of crime.

Explanation: The example illustrates the definition of a career criminal because John has been convicted of multiple criminal offenses, all of which are burglaries. He is a repeat offender and has not stopped committing crimes despite being punished for them. This behavior is typical of a career criminal.