![]() | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (April 2023) |
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Criminal law |
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Elements |
Scope of criminal liability |
Severity of offense |
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Inchoate offenses |
Offense against the person |
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Sexual offenses |
Crimes against property |
Crimes against justice |
Crimes against the public |
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Crimes against animals |
Crimes against the state |
Defenses to liability |
Other common-law areas |
Portals |
In criminal law, actus reus (/ˈæktəs ˈreɪəs/; pl.: actus rei), Latin for "guilty act", is one of the elements normally required to prove commission of a crime in common law jurisdictions, the other being mens rea ("guilty mind"). In the United States it is sometimes called the external element or the objective element of a crime.