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Criminal Law

MPC Section 2.02

Section 2.02 sets forth the MPC's approach to mens rea analysis. It is one of the most important documents in this course and should be read multiple times and with great care.

It is also almost impossible to comprehend on first (or even tenth) reading. Don't be put off if you don't grasp it prior to class. As with all of the materials we cover, it requires very careful parsing and thought. You should definitely return to it after class and see whether it makes more sense after we have discussed it together. We will refer to these provisions, particularly the definitions of the mens rea terms in part (2) throughout the rest of the course.