<Li> Intention: the accused willingly committed a criminal act entirely aware of his actions and their consequences . Necessary for murder and for assault . </Li> <Li> Recklessness: the accused was aware the criminal act could be potentially dangerous but did not give a second thought to its consequences, for example, involuntary culpable homicide . </Li> <P> The vast majority of criminal prosecutions in the United States are carried out by the component states in accordance with the laws of the state in question . Historically, the states (with the partial exception of civil - law Louisiana) applied common law rules of mens rea similar to those extant in England, but over time American understandings of common law mens rea terms diverged from those of English law and from each other . By the late 1950s to early 1960s, the common law of mens rea was widely acknowledged to be a slippery, vague, and confused mess . This was one of several factors that led to the development of the Model Penal Code . </P> <P> Since its publication in 1957, the formulation of mens rea set forth in the Model Penal Code has been highly influential throughout the US in clarifying the discussion of the different modes of culpability . The following levels of mens rea are found in the MPC: </P>

The four mental states that qualify as mens rea are