Conditions that must occur for an act to be called a specific kind of crime is _____

• A. Prerequisites
• B. Elements of a Crime
• C. Requirements
• D. Conditions

Answer: (B)

To convict someone, the law requires proving each element of the crime—the essential facts that define the offense. These elements set out what must occur and the specific intent or circumstances that accompany the act for it to be the particular crime. If any element is missing, the act cannot be charged as that crime, because liability rests on proving all elements beyond a reasonable doubt. A prerequisite is something that must happen before the act itself, not the parts that define the offense. A requirement or a condition is too generic and doesn’t specify the exact components that constitute the crime. So these defining parts are called the elements of a crime.