What does solicitation refer to in criminal law?

Solicitation in criminal law refers specifically to the act of encouraging, inviting, or requesting another person to commit a crime. This legal concept is based on the idea that if an individual seeks to persuade another to engage in criminal conduct, they are actively participating in or contributing to the commission of that crime, even if the crime is not ultimately carried out. The focus here is on the intent to provoke or incite someone else to commit the unlawful act, which is why this definition is crucial in distinguishing solicitation from other related concepts.

For example, if someone approaches another person and offers money to commit theft or any other crime, this would clearly qualify as solicitation. The key element is the encouragement - it does not matter whether the person solicited actually commits the crime or not, as the act of solicitation itself is a punishable offense.

The other answers represent different concepts in criminal law but do not fit the specific definition of solicitation. Using threats to compel someone to commit a crime describes coercion or extortion. Conspiring to commit a crime involves an agreement between two or more people to engage in unlawful behavior, and attempting to commit a crime pertains to taking substantial steps toward completing a criminal act, which does not include simply encouraging someone to act. Thus,