Mens Rea the nonphysical acts that make help create the crime. Mens rea means the specific mental state of the defendant at the time of the crime. This is also known as “guilty mind.” Actus reus is extremely important, however mens rea is just as important and cannot be overlooked. A specific form of mens rea is known as scienter. This refers to a defendant’s “guilty knowledge,” whereas mens rea refers to a defendant’s “guilty intent.” There are two more models of mens rea. The first model is general intent and the second model is specific intent. The biggest difference between these two models is that specific intent is a thoughtful conscious that causes a person to commit an act and in order to achieve a certain outcome. While general intent
