Entrapment

Entrapment is a maneuver that is sometimes used (illegally) in law enforcement. It involves a law enforcement officer inducing someone to commit a criminal act that they may not ordinarily commit. This is done in order to arrest the person involved. This type of behavior is unethical for a police officer to commit but a suspect claiming this can serve as a plausible defense.

An example would be an undercover officer posing as a sex worker who aggressively and persistently approaches their target until they relent and involve themselves in the criminal offense of prostitution. Although entrapment is sometimes used effectively and for a good reason it is considered an ethical quandary in the question of “would the person have committed the crime if it were not for the person who was ‘entrapping’ them ”


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