If someone agrees with others to engage in a felony offense and one person carries it out, what can they be charged with?

When individuals agree to commit a felony crime, they can be charged with criminal conspiracy. This charge applies even if only one party to the conspiracy actually carries out the offense. The essence of criminal conspiracy is the agreement itself to engage in unlawful conduct, which constitutes a separate offense in law, regardless of whether the crime is completed or not.

Criminal conspiracy is specifically intended to target the coordinated effort and planning that go into committing a crime. It emphasizes the fact that the mere agreement to pursue a criminal objective, combined with some overt act in furtherance of that agreement, is sufficient to warrant legal consequences. This is necessary to hold accountable those who take part in the planning stages, as it showcases the collective intent to engage in criminal activity.

In contrast, complicity refers to involvement in the crime but without the prior agreement aspect. An accessory after the fact typically refers to someone who assists another knowing that person has committed a felony, but before the commitment of the crime, there is no agreement to participate. Attempted felony, on the other hand, involves an effort to commit a crime that is not successfully completed, which does not capture the agreement aspect present in this scenario.