##  [Actus Reus](/index.php/actus-reus) 

  ##  [Actus Reus](https://criminal.quantumdictionary.io/actus-reus-0) 

  

 [![Criminal Law Dictionary](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Criminal%20Law.png.webp?itok=VjlKiX0o)](/index.php/topic-specific-dictionaries/law-governance/criminal-law)

- Law & Governance -

**Criminal Law Dictionary**

 







 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Definition

The physical conduct or omission that constitutes the prohibited component of an offense. It is limited to voluntary acts or legally recognized failures to act when a legal duty exists. It does not include mere thoughts, status, or conditions unaccompanied by prohibited conduct. It anchors criminal liability in observable behavior and guides element-by-element proof.



 

 

 

 

 





 

 



 ##  [Actus Reus](https://defense.quantumdictionary.io/actus-reus-1) 

  

 [![Defense, Security & Public Safety Dictionary](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Defense%2C%20Security%20%26%20Public%20Safety.png.webp?itok=3-v4M7xK)](/index.php/topic-specific-dictionaries/defense-security-public-safety)



**Defense, Security & Public Safety Dictionary**

 







 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Definition

The external, physical element of a criminal offence consisting of a voluntary human act, an omission when a legal duty to act exists, or conduct that causally produces a proscribed result; it is distinct from the defendant’s mental state (mens rea) and requires that the conduct be voluntary and legally connected to the harm.