Name: ____________________________

Date: ______________________________

Mens Rea & Actus Reus Assignment

Generally speaking, for a person to be found guilty of a criminal offence he or she must have committed an illegal
act (actus reus) and had the required state of mind (mens rea) for the criminal offence. The Crown must prove
both elements of the offence, the actus reus and the mens rea, beyond a reasonable doubt.
Actus reus is Latin for guilty act. It is common sense that a person must be found to have done the illegal act
before she or he can be convicted of the crime.
The guilty act can be something a person does
or something a person omits to do, i.e.
something a person is required to do but fails
to do.
Mens rea is Latin for guilty mind. In
Canada, most criminal offences require that a
person be found to have had the necessary
state of mind or mens rea for the offence
before they can be found guilty. For many
offences the mens rea refers to intending to
commit the act but some offences require
different states of mind (i.e. intending to
cause death, knowledge of likely
consequences, wilful blindness, negligence,
and recklessness). Keep in mind that it is
irrelevant whether or not the person knew the
act was illegal. Ignorance of the law is not an
excuse.

Task: You will be responsible for creating three different cartoons depicting different crimes.
Part A: You will need to complete a rough draft copy depicting all of the following:
a. Actus Reus + Intent
b. Actus Reus + Willful Blindness
c. Actus Reus + No Mens Rea
*Note: You may replace one of the above examples with negligence or recklessness.
Part B: Your will need to transfer one of these 3 cartoon stories to a good copy.
Part C: Write a page response explaining the role of mens rea and actus reus in your final cartoon.

Mens Rea/ Actus Reus Assignment: Rubric

STRAND

LEVEL TWO
60% - 70%

LEVEL THREE
70% - 80%

LEVEL FOUR
80% - 100%

Cartoon conveys
/10 little or no
understanding of mens
rea/actus reus; does not
use symbolism; title is
missing.

Cartoon conveys
a limited understanding
of mens rea/actus reus;
attempts to use
symbolism; title is
unclear or irrelevant to
topic.

Cartoon conveys
understanding of mens
rea/actus reus; uses
appropriate symbolism;
title is clear and relevant
to topic.

Cartoon clearly conveys

an understanding of mens
rea/actus reus; excellent
use of appropriate
symbolism; title is clear,
clever, and relevant to
topic.

THINKING/ INQUIRY The message is unclear

/10 or weak. It is difficult
for the viewer to
understand the point.

The message to the

viewer is clear. It is not
a strong message

The message to the

viewer is clear. It is easy
for the viewer to
understand the message.

The message to the

viewers is clear and
strong. It is easy for the
viewer to understand the
message.

Cartoon is somewhat
neat; some color and
creative graphics are
used; captions are
included.

Cartoon is neat and

clean; color and creative
graphics are used;
captions are readable.

Cartoon is neat and clean;

color and creative graphics
are used exceptionally
well; captions are
readable.

Written response does

not fit word count
criteria and addresses
cartoon in a basic
manner

Written Response is
appropriate in length and
addresses some of the
key qualities of the
cartoon

Written response is
appropriate in length and
shows an elite level of
sophistication that clearly
explains the cartoon

KNOWLEDGE

LEVEL ONE
50% - 60%

COMUNICATION /10 Cartoon is messy; color

and graphics are lacking;
captions are omitted or
unreadable.

APPPLICATION

Written response does

/10 not fit word count
criteria and does not
addresses the cartoon

Comments:

Create your o w n
Actus Reus + Intent

Actus Reus + Wilful Blindness

Actus Reus + NO Mens Rea