Which offense is defined as encouraging another person to commit a crime?

Which offense is defined as encouraging another person to commit a crime?

• A. Conspiracy
• B. Attempt
• C. Merger
• D. Solicitation

Answer: (D)

Solicitation is the inchoate offense that occurs when one person asks, encourages, or commands another to commit a crime, with the intent that the crime be carried out by that other person. This fits the idea of encouraging someone else to commit a crime because the criminal act is accomplished through the urging of another, not by the actor’s own hands. A key feature is that the crime can be punished even if the requested crime is never completed, or if the other person declines. This differs from conspiracy, which requires an agreement between two or more people to commit a crime and an intent to pursue it together. It also differs from attempt, which involves the actor’s own substantial steps toward committing the crime. Merger is not an offense in itself but a doctrine about how offenses may merge for sentencing purposes.

Solicitation is the inchoate offense that occurs when one person asks, encourages, or commands another to commit a crime, with the intent that the crime be carried out by that other person. This fits the idea of encouraging someone else to commit a crime because the criminal act is accomplished through the urging of another, not by the actor’s own hands. A key feature is that the crime can be punished even if the requested crime is never completed, or if the other person declines.

This differs from conspiracy, which requires an agreement between two or more people to commit a crime and an intent to pursue it together. It also differs from attempt, which involves the actor’s own substantial steps toward committing the crime. Merger is not an offense in itself but a doctrine about how offenses may merge for sentencing purposes.