ABSTRACT
Criminal law in England and Wales is designed to bring criminal suspects to justice by fair trial, thereby acquitting the innocent and convicting and punishing the guilty. It also has some obligation to rehabilitate people convicted of criminal acts. Criminal liability is based on actions (actus reus) and thoughts (mens rea). The standard test of criminal liability is expressed in the Latin phrase actus reus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea, which means that an act alone will not give rise to criminal liability unless done with a guilty state of mind. In English criminal law, judgements are made according to the principle ‘beyond reasonable doubt’.
