Wrongs in themselves; acts morally wrong; offenses against conscience. In criminal law, crimes are categorized as either mala in se or mala prohibita, a term that describes conduct that is specifically forbidden by laws. Although the distinction between the two classifications is not always clear, crimes mala in se are usually common-law crimes
Mala in se (the singular is malum in se) is a term that signifies crime that is considered wrong in and of itself. The phrase is Latin and literally means wrong in itself. This class of crime is contrasted by crimes mala prohibita, the Latin term for βwrong because they are prohibited.β.
Hence, homicide, rape, pedophilia, incest, aggravated burglary, and arson are examples of offenses that, cross-culturally, are considered as mala in se crimesa legal term used to describe criminal
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