mens rea
In most criminal cases, the act necessary to commit a crime (actus reus) is not sufficient to establish criminal liability; the mental state (mens rea) of the accused must also be proved. There are three main degrees of mens rea: intention, recklessness and negligence.
This definition is abridged from A – Z of tree terms: A companion to British arboriculture.
Read the preface. Order the book.