Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Term: MENTES REAE
Definition: Mentes reae refers to the mental state or intention of a person when they commit a crime. It means that a person must have had a guilty mind or known that their actions were wrong in order to be held responsible for a crime.
Simply put, it means that a person must have intended to do something wrong in order to be punished for it.
Definition: Mentes reae is the plural form of mens rea. It refers to the mental state or intention of a person while committing a crime.
Example: If someone intentionally kills another person, they have the mens rea or "guilty mind" necessary to be charged with murder.
Explanation: The example illustrates how mens rea is used to determine criminal intent. In this case, the person had the intention to kill, which is a necessary element for the crime of murder. Mentes reae is simply the plural form of this concept, referring to the mental states of multiple individuals involved in a crime.