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In our everyday language and in the world of business, the term procure is used as a way of saying to obtain something or to make it available. As used in criminal law, the term is more expansive. At law, it can include causing, aiding, or encouraging a person to commit a particular act. We can think of procuring as a general umbrella that covers the long list of phrases commonly used in accomplice liability statutes where an actor seeks to make a crime happen but does not intend to actually do the criminal act.
In modern law, we commonly see the term applied to human trafficking for various types of victims and circumstances. Many people are unaware that such sick and twisted things happen on an alarmingly frequent basis. Women are transported across international borders against their will for the purpose of becoming sex slaves. Children are transported across international (and intranational) borders for the purposes of sexual exploitation and illegal “adoptions.” Relevant statutes prevent “procuring a person.” We also find examples of the more traditional use of the term. For example, one accomplice may “procure” codes to a safe so that another accomplice can steal something from within it.
Modification History File Created: 07/12/2018 Last Modified: 07/12/2018
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