What is entrapment in the context of law enforcement?

Entrapment in the context of law enforcement refers to the act of planning an offense with the intent to persuade someone to commit it. This legal concept arises when law enforcement officials induce a person to commit a crime that they would not have otherwise committed. The key element here is that the actions of law enforcement must go beyond merely providing an opportunity for the crime to occur; they must actively encourage or persuade the individual to take part in the illegal act.

In legal proceedings, entrapment can serve as a defense if a defendant can demonstrate that they were entrapped by law enforcement. For instance, if police officers create a situation that pressures or manipulates a person into committing a crime, the defendant may argue that their actions were not a result of their own volition but rather due to the officers' overreach.

This understanding of entrapment distinguishes it from other legal processes, such as misleading a defendant during trial, obtaining confessions, or persuading individuals to become informants, which are unrelated to the entrapment defense in criminal cases.