More examples

• She is a persistent offender and has been arrested five times this year for shoplifting.
• Tougher prison sentences may act/serve as a deterrent to other would-be offenders.
• Here at the special school we make every effort to socialize these young offenders.
• We're searching for a couple of runaways from the young offenders' institution.
• Instead of simply punishing them, the system encourages offenders to modify their behaviour.