U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Covert Facilitation of Crime

NCJ Number
108683
Journal
Journal of Social Issues Volume: 43 Issue: 3 Dated: (1987) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
G Levinger
Date Published
1987
Length
150 pages
Annotation
This special issues examines legal, social, psychological and moral/ethical issues associated with the use of covert facilitation as a law enforcement strategy, particularly in combatting white-collar and corporate crime.
Abstract
The lead article defines covert facilitation as the conscious use of deception to encourage criminal acts. It argues that such strategies are necessary to detect low visibility crimes, particularly those committed by the elite and powerful and to right the structural injustice embodied in tough enforcement against blue-collar criminals and the relative immunity of white-collar criminals. Seven commentaries examine issues raised by this analysis, including difficulties in implementing proposed safeguards against abuse of the strategy and its consequences, the distinction between undercover activity and entrapment, the role of temptation as an instrument of social control, and the concept of probable cause. Additional issues examined include the ethics of covert deception, the political realities of the criminal justice system, and the difference between providing encouragement versus opportunity for crime. A response to the commentaries also is provided. Article references.