criminal liability

Criminal liability is a core concept in criminal law. It generally requires two essential elements: a voluntary act or omission, known as actus reus, and a specific mental state, or mens rea. The mens rea can include acting purposely, knowingly, recklessly, or negligently.12

However, some offenses, like statutory rape or public welfare offenses, may not require proof of a culpable mental state. These are known as strict liability offenses. Ignorance of the facts may excuse an actor, but ignorance of the law is typically not a defense, though some jurisdictions allow for mistakes of law in certain circumstances.13