What would you call a former criminal who has been released from prison?

What do you call a former criminal who has served their sentence and been released from prison?

I thought of “convicted criminal”, but that might imply the person is still a criminal and/or serving a sentence.

• Does “convicted criminal” fit this definition?
• Are there other--better--words that are more accurate?

Solution 1:

There are numerous terms used in the US, including

• ex-convict
• ex-con
• former convict
• ex-felon
• parolee
• probationer

Several of these convey particular criteria (such as probationer).

Solution 2:

I believe the common term is ex-convict (often shortened to ex-con).

Solution 3:

Another term you could use would be "ex-offender." A friend of mine works with recently released men and this is the term he uses.

Solution 4:

If the person has been imprisoned repeatedly he might be called a gaol-bird:-

a criminal who has been jailed repeatedly

Edit Green's Dictionary of Slang has it:-

1. A prisoner
2. A former prison inmate