Which term describes the act of encouraging another to commit a crime?

The term that accurately describes the act of encouraging another person to commit a crime is "solicitation." Solicitation involves directly asking, urging, or enticing someone to engage in illegal activity, thereby promoting the crime and creating an opportunity for it to occur. This legal concept is significant because it recognizes that the act of attempting to persuade or encourage someone else to engage in criminal behavior can be as serious as the underlying crime itself.

In this context, the other terms carry different meanings. Delinquency typically refers to minor crimes or offenses, especially those committed by minors, and doesn't encapsulate the act of encouraging someone else. Detention refers to the act of holding someone in custody, often for purposes of law enforcement or legal proceedings, and does not pertain to the encouragement of crime. Conspiracy involves an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime, which, while related to coordination in criminal acts, does not specifically denote the act of encouraging someone to undertake that crime. Thus, solicitation is the correct term that specifically captures the essence of encouraging criminal behavior.