Solicitation
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(April 2010) |
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Solicitationis the act of offering, or attempting to purchase, goods and/or services. Legal status may be specific to the time or place where it occurs.[clarification needed]Thecrimeof "solicitation to commit a crime" occurs when a person encourages, "solicits, requests, commands, importunes or otherwise attempts to cause" another person to attempt or commit a crime, with the purpose of thereby facilitating the attempt or commission of that crime.[1]: 698–702
England and Wales
[edit]InEngland and Wales,the termsolicitingis usually "for a person (whether male or female) persistently to loiter or solicit in a street or public place for the purpose ofprostitution"under theStreet Offences Act 1959as amended.[2]The crime of soliciting should not be confused with the profession of asolicitor,which under UK law is typically that of alawyer,who may also function as a legalagentto obtain the services of abarristeron behalf of a client.
United States
[edit]In theUnited States,solicitationis the name of acrime,aninchoate offensethat consists of a person offering money or inducing another to commit a crime with thespecific intentthat the person solicited commit the crime. For example, under federal law, for a solicitation conviction to occur the prosecution must prove both that defendant had the intent that another person engage in conduct constituting a felony crime of violence, and that the defendant commanded, induced, or otherwise endeavored to persuade the other person to commit the felony.[3][citation needed]
In some jurisdictions in the United States, solicitation ofprostitutionis subject to occasional policesting operations,which have been in turn subject to court cases onprivacygrounds.
Differences in laws
[edit]In theUnited States,the term "solicitation" implies some part of commercial element,consideration,or payment. In some othercommon lawcountries,[which?]the situation is different:
- where the substantive offense is not committed, the charges are drawn fromincitement,conspiracy,andattempt;
- where the substantive offense is committed, the charges are drawn fromconspiracy,counseling and procuring (seeaccessories), and the substantive offenses as joint principals (seecommon purpose).
Differences from other crimes
[edit]Solicitation has in the U.S. these unique elements:
- the encouraging, bribing, requesting, or commanding a person
- to commit a substantive crime,
- with the intent that the person solicited commit the crime.
Unlikeconspiracy,there is no overt step necessary for solicitation, one person can be a defendant and it merges with the substantive crime.
It is not necessary that the person commit the crime, nor is it necessary that the person solicited be willing or able to commit the crime (such as if the "solicitee" were anundercoverpolice officer).
For example, if Alice commands Bob toassaultCharlie, and Alice intends for Bob to assault Charlie, then Alice is guilty of solicitation. However, if Alice commands Bob to assault Charlie without intending that a crime be committed (perhaps believing that Charlie has givenconsent), then there is no solicitation.
An interesting twist on solicitation occurs when a third party that the solicitor did not intend to receive the incitement overhears the request to the original solicitee and unbeknownst to the solicitor, commits the target offense. In a minority of jurisdictions in the United States, this situation would still be considered solicitation even though the defendant never intended the person that committed the crime to have done so.
Solicitation is also subject to thedoctrine of merger,which applies in situations where the person solicited commits the crime. In such a situation, both Alice and Bob could be charged with the crime as accomplices, which would preclude conviction under solicitation; a person cannot be punished for both solicitation and the crime solicited.
No soliciting signs – residential
[edit]In addition to theinchoate offenseof solicitation, "solicitor" can also refer to adoor-to-door salesman.This creates another form of illegal solicitation, as in many jurisdictions, it is illegal to ignore "no soliciting" signs with the burden typically resting upon the solicitor to look for the sign and upon observation to vacate the premises without attempting to contact the homeowner.[4][5]Some cities require the employer to properly train employees on the appropriate observation of local solicitation ordinances and instruct them to always carry an identifying badge that they must show upon request.[6]
City ordinances vary but may require a soliciting sign to be of a certain dimension to qualify for legal protection. Some signs may cite the city ordinance and describe the consequences to the solicitor. Although certainly not required, such methods may be more effective at deterring unwanted solicitation.
See also
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/No_soliciting_rest_area_sign.jpg/200px-No_soliciting_rest_area_sign.jpg)
- Begging § Legal restrictions
- Incitement
- Inchoate offence
- Murder for hire
- Prostitution
- Soliciting to murder
- ATF fictional sting operations– rejected US legal case justified by Department of Justice as preventing crime
- Crimen sollicitationisin Catholic Church
Related to "no soliciting" signs
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Criminal Law - Cases and Materials,7th ed. 2012,Wolters Kluwer Law & Business;John Kaplan (law professor),Robert Weisberg,Guyora Binder,ISBN978-1-4548-0698-1,[1]
- ^UK Statutes website: Street Offences Act.For the latest Home Office proposals on this offence, see"Regulatory Impact Assessment - A coordinated strategy for prostitution"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2007-09-28.Retrieved2007-10-17..
- ^"U.S. Attorney's Manual, Sec. 108.4. Elements of Solicitation".U.S. Department of Justice. 2015-02-20.Retrieved14 December2017.
- ^"Phoenix Municipal Code".codepublishing.com.City of Phoenix.Retrieved16 August2014.
- ^"Utah County Residential Solicitation Ordinances"(PDF).co.utah.ut.us.Utah County. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 23 September 2015.Retrieved16 August2014.
- ^"Solicitor Business Permit Requirements".plano.gov.Plano City Police Department. Archived fromthe originalon 15 October 2013.Retrieved16 August2014.