Complicity

For other uses, see Complicity (disambiguation).

An individual is complicit in a crime if they are aware of its occurrence, have the ability to report the crime, but fail to do so. As such the individual effectively allows the criminals to carry out a crime despite easily being able to stop them, either directly or by contacting the authorities thus making them a de-facto accessory to the crime rather than innocent bystanders.

Law relating to complicity varies. Usually complicity is not a crime although this sometimes conflicts with popular perception. See The Finale (Seinfeld episode). At a certain point a person that is complicit in a crime may become a conspirator depending on the degree of involvement by the individual and whether a crime was completed or not.