Mens Rea is a phrase that you are most likely to hear in the criminal courts and means literally "guilty mind" Certain crimes require that a person intended to carry out the crime, and thus the prosecution would have to prove that there was mens rea at the time the offense was committed
Literally, "guilty mind " The intent required to commit the crime It is a prerequisite to conviction for a crime involving a moral wrong, but it is not a prerequisite to conviction for an act that is a crime only because a statute designates it to be a crime, e g , overtime parking
The "criminal intent" or "guilty mind" that creates responsibility for a crime See "actus reus"
(law) criminal intent; the thoughts and intentions behind a wrongful act (including knowledge that the act is illegal); often at issue in murder trials