Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Abet means helping someone else commit a crime. This can include planning the crime, helping the person escape, or being there when the crime happens. If you help someone commit a crime, you can be charged and punished just like the person who actually did it. Sometimes, people who help before the crime happens are called "accessories before the fact," and people who help during the crime are called "principals in the second degree." Abetting is also sometimes called "aiding and abetting."
Definition: Abet refers to helping someone commit a crime. This can include planning the crime, helping the person escape after the crime, or being present during the crime. If someone abets a crime, they can be charged and punished just like the person who actually committed the crime.
For example, if someone helps plan a bank robbery or drives the getaway car, they are abetting the crime. Even if they didn't physically rob the bank, they can still be charged with the same crime as the person who did.
Abetting is sometimes called "aiding and abetting" in legal language. There are different types of abetting, such as being an accessory before the fact (helping plan the crime) or a principal in the second degree (being present during the crime).