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Preferred term

individualized suspicion  

Definition

  • Individualized suspicion is a leading concept in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence, standing for the principle that law enforcement officials often cannot search or seize individuals without some belief that the particular person is carrying contraband or otherwise violating the law. In many circumstances—such as when police officers search a home or a particular person on the street—they must have a degree of individualized suspicion, often probable cause or at least reasonable suspicion, that the owner of the home or the person on the street is harboring contraband. [Source: Encyclopedia of the Fourth Amendment; Individualized Suspicion]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/individualized_suspicion

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