The Defense of Entrapment Re-examined

This note is an introduction to the problem of entrapment in the enforcement of vice laws. Supreme Court decisions based on federal law are used as the model for a discussion of the concept of entrapment. Entrapment occurs when “otherwise innocent” persons are lured into crime by inappropriate police conduct. A minority view on the Court is that regardless of defendant characteristics, the entrapment defense should be allowed anytime the police instigate crime. Political scientists' interest in entrapment law stems from (1) the law's impact on police behavior and (2) the constitutional issue of due process surrounding crime encouraged by government officials.