Which term describes a situation where a defendant is coerced to engage in prohibited conduct due to imminent physical force?

The correct term that describes a situation where a defendant is coerced to engage in prohibited conduct due to imminent physical force is duress. This legal defense is based on the argument that the defendant was compelled to act against their will due to a threat of immediate harm or violence directed at them or another person. In such cases, the individual would not be acting of their own volition but rather out of fear for their safety or the safety of others, which undermines their culpability in the criminal act.

Other terms related to legal defenses have different meanings. Renunciation refers to the act of voluntarily giving up or rejecting a previously held plan to commit a crime. Justification involves circumstances where the actions taken by a defendant can be seen as permissible under the law, such as self-defense. Entrapment refers to a situation where law enforcement induces a person to commit a crime they otherwise would not have committed. Each of these concepts differs significantly from the notion of duress, which centers specifically on the use of imminent force as the motivating factor behind the defendant's actions.