Mens rea of statutory rape under MBE is:

Mens rea of statutory rape under MBE is:

• A. Strict liability
• B. Intent to commit statutory rape
• C. Knowledge of age
• D. Mistake of age

Answer: (A)

Statutory rape is a strict liability crime: the offense rests on the act of sexual intercourse with someone below the legal age, not on what the defendant believed or intended about the other person’s age. The law punishes the act regardless of the defendant’s knowledge or belief about age, so no mens rea for age is required. Because the age element doesn’t require intent or knowledge, the other possibilities—intent to commit statutory rape, knowledge of age, or a defense based on mistaken age—do not fit as the controlling mental state. In this framework, liability attaches solely to having intercourse with a minor who falls under the statutory age.

Statutory rape is a strict liability crime: the offense rests on the act of sexual intercourse with someone below the legal age, not on what the defendant believed or intended about the other person’s age. The law punishes the act regardless of the defendant’s knowledge or belief about age, so no mens rea for age is required. Because the age element doesn’t require intent or knowledge, the other possibilities—intent to commit statutory rape, knowledge of age, or a defense based on mistaken age—do not fit as the controlling mental state. In this framework, liability attaches solely to having intercourse with a minor who falls under the statutory age.