I'm not sure if you're being "technically correct, the best kind of correct" or trying to actually specify the definition.
Actual definition:
In the Western world, a "criminal" is any person tried and convicted of breaking the law.
Your definition is, however, correct for how it sometimes works and how "they" would like it to work. (where your use of the word "mandate" means "whichever direction the wind is currently blowing").
