I think you have to judge everything based on your personal taste. And if that means being critical, so be it. I hate political correctness. I absolutely loathe it.
Simon Cowell
Whatever your opinion on political correctness (or Simon Cowell), if you’re like me then you’ll find yourself struggling to find the right term to describe a group of people to maintain your professionalism or convey compassionate intentions effectively.
In my experience there is no group of people more concerned about political correctness than the Human Resources professionals who I work with (gee I hope it’s still OK to refer to HR Pros) and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked for the politically correct term for ex-offenders or former prisoners.
This article by Ian Glennie is the best use of words that I’ve found to describe that group of people who at some point in the past have been convicted of criminal offences.