Question

What type of mens rea might apply in each situation?

Answer 1

Answer:

- The mugging of the police officer: purposeful

- The theft/disappearance of the fingerprints: knowing or negligent

- The arson: purposeful or reckless

Explanation:

Mens rea means "a guilty mind" as is required to prove a crime, along with actus reus (the criminal act). A purposeful mens rea means a crime was intentionally commited. A negligent mens rea is the failure to do what a reasonable person would do. A knowing mens rea means the potential result of a criminal act (such as lending a gun to someone who intends to shoot another person). A reckless mens rea increases risk to others, like driving under the influence.

Together, actus reus and mens rea form the corpus delicti or, both the criminal act and guilty mind.