Criminology Term: Entrapment
Entrapment is a controversial legal defense that arises when law enforcement officials induce an individual to commit a crime that they wouldn't have committed without the influence of the officials.
Essentially, entrapment involves the use of coercion, deception, or other tactics to manipulate an individual into committing a crime.
This tactic has been criticized as it threatens the fundamental principle of free will, making it an unfair and unethical practice. Therefore, the entrapment defense can only be used in cases where the defendant can prove that they were not predisposed to commit the crime and that the idea of the crime originated from law enforcement officials.
In some cases, a law enforcement officer might pretend to be a drug dealer, for example, to convince an individual to purchase drugs. If a defendant can prove that they had no intention of buying drugs and that they only did so because the officer insisted, they might have a valid entrapment defense.
Proving entrapment is often challenging, and the defendant must show that they were not already inclined to commit the crime before the officials' involvement.
If the court decides that entrapment has occurred, the charges against the defendant may be dropped, but it is up to the discretion of the court to determine the validity of the entrapment defense.
