What does "conspiracy" refer to in criminal law?

In criminal law, "conspiracy" refers to an agreement between two or more individuals to engage in criminal activity. This concept is grounded in the idea that the agreement itself constitutes a step towards committing a crime, even if the crime has not yet been executed. For a conspiracy charge to hold, it typically must be established that the parties involved had the intention to commit a crime, and there was an overt act taken in furtherance of that agreement. This foundational element underscores that mere planning is insufficient; there must be a clear expression of intent and some action taken toward achieving the criminal objective.

The other options do not accurately capture the legal definition of conspiracy. A plan to blame someone else for a crime does not involve agreement on committing a criminal act, thus failing to meet the definition of conspiracy. Additionally, the idea of a defense used when two people are involved misrepresents conspiracy, which is inherently about the engagement in criminal behavior rather than a protective legal strategy. Lastly, providing false testimony pertains to perjury and is not connected to the concept of conspiracy, which specifically addresses the coordination between parties intending to commit a crime.