The Latin term that indicates that a crime has been committed and literally means 'the body of this crime' is:

• A. Corpus delicti
• B. Actus reus
• C. Mens rea
• D. Jurisdiction

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is proving that a crime actually occurred. Corpus delicti means the “body of the crime” and it refers to the essential proof that a crime happened, not just that someone intended to or claimed to have done it. In practice, there must be evidence of the criminal act and the resulting harm or loss, independent of any confession or statement. For homicide, that often means a dead body and the act that caused it; for other crimes, it means the unlawful act plus the damage or theft that resulted. This ensures you can’t convict someone based solely on a confession without independent proof that the crime occurred. By contrast, actus reus is the physical act itself, mens rea is the mental state or intent, and jurisdiction is the authority of a court to apply the law.