What is meant by mens rea and actus reus in criminal law?

Guilty mind versus guilty act. criminal law is the main area of law which carries the risk of the offender to have one of their main human rights curtailed -- their right to freedom, by putting the offender in jail. this means that it is in our interest to make sure that we send people who definitely deserve behind the bars.

Mens rea is largely unique to criminal law because of the above. it requires the prosecution in a criminal case (usually the state) to prove what was on the defendant's mind when breaking the law. this can be the INTENTION to break the law or NEGLIGENCE as to whether the law will be broken or not. Each crime has a defined requirement for what the defendant's state of mind should have been in order to hold him/her liable for it.

The other element of course, actus reus, is the doing of the act.