CRIM 1125 Lecture Notes - Mens Rea, Actus Reus
Document Summary
Most are pathological individuals who kill at random. Victimization rates are going up: reality. Most not detected or not report, most unsolved. Only small portion of crime is violent. Young, low ses males more likely to be victimized. Debate between the consensus vs. and conflict models. Sacco and kennedy say the dominant way of thinking about crime is in legal terms. Crime is conceptualized relative to the concept of law crime is breaking the law. Because committing a criminal act amounts to breaking the law, it is subject to prosecution and punishment. Actus reus = a real event, in which somebody has committed or failed to commit an act. Mens rea = criminal intent; you must have the intent to commit the act. Must be contrary to a provision of criminal law. Mala in se something bad or evil in itself. Laws that criminalize acts most societies and cultures agree are inherently wrong, e. g. murder and incest.
