The process of removing criminal penalties or making something that was illegal no longer against the law.
From decriminalize (de- + criminalize) + -ation (nominalization suffix). The prefix de- means 'to remove,' and criminalize means 'to make criminal,' so decriminalization reverses that process.
When places decriminalize drugs or prostitution, they're not legalizing or approving them—they're removing criminal penalties, which lets people access treatment or protection instead of jail.
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