MensRea, ActusReus, andConcurrence

a.Distinguish between the terms actus reus and mens rea. How are they significant in criminal law? The actus reus (literally Latin for guilty act) is the behavior that the criminal law intends to punish. It can be either an act of commission (such as hitting or stealing) or it might be an act of omission (such as failing to file a tax return or neglecting a child.) (Sponte, S. (2007)). Actusreus must exist for a criminal conviction to take place within the criminal law system because without criminal action there can be no crime. While actusreus serves to determine the physical element of guilt the mensrea serves to determine them ental element. The concept of mensrea refers...