What best defines entrapment?

What best defines entrapment?

• A. Inducement by a law enforcement officer of a normal, law-abiding person to commit an offense
• B. Coercion by a private individual to commit a crime
• C. A legitimate police offer to explain the law
• D. A suspect's prior criminal history

Answer: (A)

Entrapment focuses on inducement by a law enforcement officer of a normal, law-abiding person to commit an offense. The key idea is that the officer’s actions persuade someone who wouldn’t have otherwise chosen to commit a crime to do so, rather than simply presenting an opportunity to commit one. If the person was predisposed to commit the crime, the defense isn’t available, but the defense hinges on the officer’s inducement and the lack of predisposition. This matches the option that describes law enforcement inducing an ordinary person to commit an offense. The other scenarios don’t fit entrapment: coercion by a private individual isn’t entrapment; a lawful explanation of the law isn’t; and a suspect’s criminal history isn’t what defines entrapment.

Entrapment focuses on inducement by a law enforcement officer of a normal, law-abiding person to commit an offense. The key idea is that the officer’s actions persuade someone who wouldn’t have otherwise chosen to commit a crime to do so, rather than simply presenting an opportunity to commit one. If the person was predisposed to commit the crime, the defense isn’t available, but the defense hinges on the officer’s inducement and the lack of predisposition.

This matches the option that describes law enforcement inducing an ordinary person to commit an offense. The other scenarios don’t fit entrapment: coercion by a private individual isn’t entrapment; a lawful explanation of the law isn’t; and a suspect’s criminal history isn’t what defines entrapment.