A form of baiting, both online and in real life, designed to provoke someone into doing or saying something that could lead to jail, prison, a lawsuit, or at minimum a criminal record. Prisonbait is "how to catch a predator" expanded to cover any action that could result in legal consequences: intentional civil disobedience, incriminating statements, admissions of guilt, or participation in staged illegal activities. The baiter creates situations where the
target feels
safe to incriminate themselves—a private conversation that isn'
t private, a protest that's being filmed by undercover officers, a online forum run by law enforcement. Once the
target takes the
bait, the evidence is handed to authorities. Prisonbait is the art of turning
people into criminals by creating opportunities for crime.
Example: "The online forum seemed like a place for political discussion, but it was prisonbait—run by law enforcement, designed to attract
people angry enough to say something incriminating. When he posted about 'overthrowing the
government,' he thought he was venting. The screen
shot became evidence; the knock on his door came weeks later. Prisonbait had worked: he'd provided the rope; they'd made the noose."