When a government criminalizes something, it passes a law that says that thing is now a crime. After that, people who do it can be arrested and taken to court.

When a government當政府 criminalizes something把某件事入罪化， it passes a law就是通過一條法律， that says that thing is now a crime說那件事現在是犯罪 After that在那之後， people who do it做那件事的人 can be arrested and taken to court可能會被逮捕、送上法庭

The thing being criminalized is usually an action: selling a drug, carrying a weapon, saying certain words in public. People also use the word about a group, in a looser, more political way: if you say a policy criminalizes the poor, you mean it treats poor people as if being poor were itself a crime.

The thing being criminalized is usually an action被入罪化的東西通常是一種行為： selling a drug, carrying a weapon, saying certain words in public賣毒品、帶武器、在公共場合說某些話 People also use the word about a group人們也會用這個字來講一整個群體， in a looser, more political way用法比較鬆、比較政治性： if you say a policy criminalizes the poor如果你說一項政策把窮人入罪化， you mean it treats poor people as if being poor were itself a crime你的意思是，它把「窮」這件事本身當成犯罪來對待窮人

That is not the strict legal sense, though actually news and protest writing use it that way all the time.

That is not the strict legal sense那不是嚴謹的法律意義， though actually news and protest writing use it that way all the time不過其實新聞和抗議文章一直都這樣用

The word is formal. You meet it in law, newspapers, and arguments about whether a law is fair.

The word這個字 is formal是正式的 You meet it in law, newspapers, and arguments about whether a law is fair你會在法律、報紙，還有討論一條法律公不公平的爭論裡看到它

The opposite move is to decriminalize something: the law stops treating it as a crime, even if many people still dislike it.

The opposite move相反的做法 is to decriminalize something是把某件事除罪化： the law stops treating it as a crime法律不再把它當犯罪看， even if many people still dislike it就算還是有很多人不喜歡它