February 6, 2023 2:23PM 

# Should Governments Criminalize Fraud? 

By [Jeffrey Miron](https://www.cato.org/people/jeffrey-miron) 

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> At first blush, the question might seem bizarre. Surely even the purest libertarian opposes private deceptions that, in effect, steal money from others? The Libertarian Party [platform](https://www.lp.org/platform/) explicitly endorses government prohibitions of fraud.
> 
> Yet this is one case where libertarians have perhaps accepted too large a role for government. In Libertarian Land, government does not criminalize fraud; government’s only role in reducing fraud consists of enforcing contracts.

Read the rest [here](https://www.nysun.com/article/libertarian-land-use-contract-enforcement-not-criminal-law-to-deter-fraud).

##### Related Tags 

[Criminal Justice](https://www.cato.org/criminal-justice) 

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