Recklessness, And Negligence: The Four Levels

According to the Latin dictionary the word “mens rea” means or translates to “guilty mind.” You cannot be truly guilty unless you are aware of the dangerous act you are committing. There are different degrees to mens rae that break up the levels that can be involved. The four levels are known as intent, knowledge, recklessness, and negligence
The first degree of a criminal case is intent. This is the fully aware and conscious desire and want to break the law or commit a dangerous act. If you have been targeting to rob a house or targeting to murder someone you would be committed with intent to kill or criminal intent. There are two different categories of intent. There is what is known as general intent and then there is specific intent.
General intent requires that the offender had the intent or the mind set to commit an illegal act. For example if you have a condition that causes you to randomly faint and you are …show more content…
You have to be in a specific state of mind in order to commit a crime. For example if you had intent to break and enter and you proceed with that act, you ad specific intent to commit that specific crime even though you were aware of the outcomes. Intent is a state of mind and because of that it can be hard to prove but it still is possible.
Reckless is an intent that an offender takes knowing that it will cause them harm, it is along the lines of negligence but a higher level of it. Depending on the state it may vary but there are usually guidelines that can prove recklessness. For example drinking and driving in all states is considered reckless conduct. Driving at high speeds in an area where there are other pedestrians can put yourself and others in endangerment. In most cases recklessness can act in legal consequences, such as lawsuits with personal injury, or compensation for lost medical