Proving that an individual was forced by coercion to participate in something they did not want to do can be difficult. An individual might say they were coerced into doing something so that they do not have to take the blame for it.
However, if the person truly is a victim, that means that they were forced to do something that they did not want to do. This could mean being threatened by physical violence. It could also mean that the victim of coercion was physically attacked.
Coercion is defined as using force or intimidation to get compliance when acting. The victim, too scared to not go along with the action, is effectively forced to participate. A victim can be coerced into doing a number of things. These thing are not always crimes. One may coerced into drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.
Many times, however, the coercion that takes place involves forcing a victim to participate in a crime. When an individual is coerced into something, they are dominated by the other person. The one coercing the victim will try to scare and intimidate the victim.
If a crime is committed and it is found that coercion was used to get someone to participate in the illegal action, there is a good chance that the victim will not be punished by the judicial system. This is if the victim can prove that they were coerced into participating. However, if the victim who was coerced does not go to the police after the crime was committed, it is less likely that a police officer would believe that coercion took place.
If the victim was completely coerced into participating in a crime and they report the crime immediately, it is much more likely that the police will believe that they are telling the truth about the coercion.
Any victim that was coerced into committing a crime is not culpable for that crime. However, many people wrongly use the term coercion to describe an action they participated in even when they weren’t physically attacked or threatened. Victims of coercion are not people who act due to a self-imposed obligation to do something.
If an individual feels that they owe a favor to someone, whether or not that favor is illegal is irrelevant. If the individual acts without being attacked or threatened, they have not been coerced. While it is true that the individual might not have wanted to participate in the activity, they still acted under their own free will.
Any victim of coercion of an illegal act should notify authorities immediately. It may be difficult to prove that one was coerced into doing something, but cooperation with police officials may show them that the victim was coerced into helping another person commit a crime because of the actuality or the threat of physical violence.
