How does recklessness differ from negligence under the Model Penal Code?

Under the Model Penal Code, the distinction between recklessness and negligence centers on the actor's state of mind regarding the risk created by their conduct.1

• Recklessness involves a conscious disregard of a substantial and unjustifiable risk. The actor is aware that their conduct creates an unreasonable peril but chooses to proceed anyway.1
• Negligence involves an inadvertence to a risk that would have been apparent to a reasonable person. In this state, the actor fails to perceive the peril, even though a reasonable person in the same situation would have recognized it.1

While most crimes under the Model Penal Code require a showing of purposeful, knowing, or reckless conduct, negligent conduct is generally insufficient for a criminal conviction unless the specific definition of the crime explicitly includes it.2