Looking at it from a different angle, I don’t like the more wordy suggestions.
> convict…person who is/was incarcerated
> senile…person suffering from senility
Before I hit send I try to make my writing clear, concise, and full of meaning. I do it in the hope that the folks on the other end read and understand me.
Swapping one term for a slightly longer one won’t be a breaking point, but sentences like:
> I went to visit the incarcerated person suffering from senility
build up cruft that you don’t get with something shorter.
> I went to visit the senile convict.
Maybe they should punctuate the article as Orwell did in his rules for writing:
> Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous
The verbose alternative also draws more attention to the condition being described. Since most of these are negative conditions, you could argue that you're emphasizing the negative by dedicating so many words to it.
> convict…person who is/was incarcerated
> senile…person suffering from senility
Before I hit send I try to make my writing clear, concise, and full of meaning. I do it in the hope that the folks on the other end read and understand me.
Swapping one term for a slightly longer one won’t be a breaking point, but sentences like:
> I went to visit the incarcerated person suffering from senility
build up cruft that you don’t get with something shorter.
> I went to visit the senile convict.
Maybe they should punctuate the article as Orwell did in his rules for writing:
> Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous