What is the legal definition of entrapment?

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The legal definition of entrapment is best captured by the idea that it occurs when law enforcement or government agents induce a person to commit a crime that they would not have otherwise committed, indicating that the individual was not predisposed to engage in that criminal behavior. This principle is important in criminal law as it protects individuals from coercive tactics that might lead them to engage in illegal activities they otherwise would have avoided.

Entrapment focuses on the interaction between the government and the individual, assessing whether the law enforcement's actions were so persuasive or coercive that they effectively caused the crime. This definition aligns closely with legal standards and cases that assess whether entrapment defenses can be validly used in court settings, emphasizing the importance of predisposition in determining if entrapment occurred.

The other options do not adequately define entrapment: one describes a proactive crime for personal gain, another refers to general enticement without the essential predisposition element, and the last one speaks more to unintended consequences rather than the specific interaction involved in a legal definition of entrapment.

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