“MENS REA” (GUILT) AND “ACTUS REUS” (CRIMINAL ACT) IN ENGLISH CRIMINAL LAW: CONCEPT, SIGNS AND COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Keywords:
corpus delicti, actus reus, mens rea, traditional scientific concept, alternative scientific concept, actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea, criminal action, omissionAbstract
This article extensively uses logical, inductive, deductive, systematic, logical-legal, and comparative-legal methods. Specifically, it first discusses the concepts and characteristics of “actus reus” (criminal act) and “mens rea” (guilt) in English criminal law, providing a detailed analysis of the views and research of scholars on these concepts, as well as the similarities and differences between them. The article also emphasizes that, within the Anglo-Saxon legal system, the concept of “actus reus - mens rea,” which underpins criminal liability, occupies a central position in determining criminal responsibility. However, unlike the Romano-Germanic legal system, it is not the sole basis for criminal liability. It is noted that mens rea (guilt, mental attitude) is considered the subjective element of a crime and that in English criminal law; there are instances where it is overlooked in legislation, criminal law doctrine, and practice. Furthermore, the article divides the concepts of corpus delicti (elements of a crime) and the theory of crime in Anglo-Saxon criminal law into two main groups: traditional scientific concepts and alternative (or opposing) scientific concepts. The first scientific concept is represented by scholars such as J.Austin, M. Moore, D. Husak, G. Fletcher, H. Morris, M. Gorr, A. Enker, W. Blackstone, G. Williams, and others, whose works are thoroughly analyzed. The second scientific concept is represented by scholars like P.Robinson and others, who suggest that the distinction between “actus reus” and “mens rea” in English criminal law should be reconsidered. Based on a comparative-legal analysis of the elements of crime and the existing concepts of “actus reus” (criminal act) and “mens rea” (guilt) in Anglo-Saxon legal systems, the following conclusions are drawn: 1) In the Continental legal system, criminal law theory and legislation define each crime as consisting of four elements. In the Anglo-Saxon legal system, however, a crime consists of two elements: actus reus and mens rea, which together constitute the criminal act and guilty mind; 2) In the Continental legal system, the elements of a crime are inseparable and form a unified whole. The elements of the crime consist of a set of distinctive characteristics. When qualifying a crime, all the characteristics representing each element of the crime are analyzed and considered. In the Common Law system, the presence of actus reus serves as the basis for criminal liability. The mental attitude towards the criminal act (mens rea) is not a determining factor (according to traditional approaches).
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