What Latin term means 'guilty mind' and denotes criminal intent?

• A. Actus reus
• B. Culpa
• C. Mens rea
• D. Stare decisis

Answer: (C)

In criminal law, the term that captures the mental state a person has when committing a crime is mens rea, meaning a “guilty mind.” It reflects the intent or awareness of wrongdoing at the time of the offense and is a key part of establishing criminal liability. Convictions usually require both the prohibited act (the actus reus) and the appropriate mental state (the mens rea), unless a statute is a strict-liability offense that requires no mental state. The others describe different ideas: actus reus is the actual prohibited act or omission, not the mental element; stare decisis refers to the principle of following precedent; culpa means fault or blame but isn’t the formal label used for criminal intent in this context. So, mens rea is the best fit for “guilty mind.”