What is the difference between criminal negligence and criminal intent?

Criminal negligence and criminal intent are two separate concepts when it comes to criminal law. Criminal negligence occurs when a person fails to act with due care and their actions result in harm to another person. It is sometimes referred to as "reckless" behavior. An example of this would be someone speeding through a school zone who ends up causing an accident. They failed to act with reasonable care and their actions had a negative consequence. Criminal intent refers to the mental state of the perpetrator when performing a criminal offense. It occurs when a person has an intention to do something that they know is wrong or illegal. An example of this would be someone planning a burglary. They have the intention to break into a home and they know that the act is wrong or illegal. Essentially, criminal negligence is a type of recklessness whereas criminal intent is a conscious decision to do something wrong. Generally, criminal intent is harder to prove than criminal negligence because it needs to be proven that the person had the mental state of wanting to do something wrong or illegal.

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What is the difference between criminal negligence and criminal intent?

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