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In theUnited States criminal law, aframe-up (frameup) orset-up is the act of falselyimplicating (framing) someone in a crime by providingfabricated evidence ortestimony.[1] In British usage, toframe,stitch-up, orfit-up,[2] is to maliciously or dishonestly incriminate someone or set them up, in the sense trap or ensnare.
Whileincriminating those who are innocent might be done out of sheer malice,framing is primarily used as adistraction. Generally, the person who is framing someone else is the actual perpetrator of the crime. In other cases it is an attempt by law enforcement to get arounddue process. Motives include getting rid of political dissidents or "correcting" what they see as the court's mistake. Some lawbreakers will try to claim they were framed as a defense strategy. Frameups may useconspiracy theories to hide the true crimes of the accused.[citation needed]
Frameups in labor disputes sometimes swing public opinion one way or the other. In Massachusetts, during the1912 Lawrence Textile Strike,Massachusetts State Police officers acting on a tip discovered dynamite and blamed it on theIndustrial Workers of the World union. National media echoed an anti-union message. Later, the police revealed that the dynamite had been wrapped in a magazine addressed to the son of the former mayor. The man had received an unexplained payment from the largest of the employers. Exposed, the plot swung public sympathy to the IWW.[3]
A frameup where a police officer shoots an unarmed suspect and then places a weapon near the body is a form ofpolice misconduct known as a "throw down". This is used to justify the shooting by making it appear that the officer fired in self-defence or to defend other bystanders.[4]
