What is the mental state called when a person can be guilty without having a specific intent?

The correct answer is absolute liability, which refers to a legal standard where a person can be held liable for an offense without the necessity of proving intent or mental state. This means that an individual can be found guilty of a crime even if they did not intend to commit it or were not negligent.

In many legal contexts, absolute liability applies to regulatory offenses or strict liability crimes, such as certain environmental violations or traffic offenses. The rationale behind this is that the law aims to promote public safety and accountability in situations where intent is not relevant to the act itself.

While recklessness involves a conscious disregard for a known risk, and intentionality implies a deliberate intent to bring about a specific result, neither fully captures the essence of absolute liability. Additionally, nonspecific liability is not a widely recognized legal term in this context. By falling under absolute liability, individuals may still face consequences of their actions in the legal system even without any proof of intent.