Beasley v. State’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

2 federal appellate · 13 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 15 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““ ‘That one is caught in the commission of a crime merely because some trap is laid for his detection and capture is, in itself, no logical reason for holding him irresponsible. The marking of money, or intentionally leaving it exposed in case of a suspected or anticipated robbery or larceny, or setting a watch for criminals, or leaving open a door so that an expected thief may more easily get into a house, or in other ways merely providing facilities for the commission of a crime, furnishes no defense for the offender. “ ‘ “Entrap” means, literally, to ensnare, to catch in a trap, but “entrapment,” as the term is now usually employed in the law of crime, means inciting, inducing, or instigating one to commit a crime not originally contemplated by him, for the purpose of entrapping him in its commission and instituting criminal prosecution against him. The mere furnishing of opportunity to another who is ready and willing to commit the offense is not such entrapment, * * *. “ ‘Many “entrapment” cases are connected with improper inducements made by law enforcement officers to entice one to violate the law, for the purpose of arresting and prosecuting the violator. Such despicable acts are often motivated by desires for fees and “efficient” records, but, as a rule, they have deserved and received denunciations from the courts, and have been recognized as constituting a defense on the ground of public policy. “ ‘Artifice and stratagem may lawfully be employed to catch those enga”

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Riddle v. State · 2011 OK CR 9 - Soriano v. State

2. ““Where the doing of a particular act is a crime regardless of the consent of any one, if the criminal intent originates in the mind of the defendant, the fact that peace officers furnished an opportunity for or aid in the commission of the crime, in order to secure the evidence necessary to prosecute him therefor, constitutes no defense. “Entrapment is the planning of an offense by an officer, and his procurement by improper inducement of its commission by one who would not have perpetrated it, except for the trickery or fraud of the officer. “Ordinarily, it is not against public policy for peace officers or persons acting under their direction to set a trap for one suspected of planning the commission of a crime, and if he commits the crime, even though encouraged by the officers or persons acting under their direction who laid the trap, the fact that he was so entrapped will 'be no defense.””

   2 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. 2011 OK CR 9 - Soriano v. State · Jones v. State

3. ““You are instructed that the defendant relies on the defense of entrapment, and you are instructed that to constitute the defense of entrapment you must find that the acts constituting an essential element of the alleged offense were instigated by officials or persons acting under their direction, and the test of criminality is, did the officers or those acting under them first suggest the commission of the criminal act, or lure the accused into the commission of such acts or perform any of the essential acts constituting the offense? You are instructed that if you find that the officials or persons acting under them first suggested the commission of the criminal act or lured the accused into the commission of the criminal act charged in the information then this would constitute entrapment and be a defense. “You are further instructed that if you find that the first suggestion for the commission of the crime came from the defendant, and all of the essential acts constituting the crime were done by him, then the fact that the officers or those acting under them, for the purpose of entrapment, furnished an opportunity and lent aid to the commission of the offense less than the performing of some essential act constituting the offense, or were present when and apparently assisting in the commission of the crime, constitutes no defense of entrapment.””

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Savage v. State