Which term describes an offender's intention to voluntarily make the bodily movement that becomes the act to commit a criminal offense?

• A. Leverage
• B. Intent
• C. Mechanical compliance
• D. Motor dysfunction

Answer: (B)

Intent is the mental state that describes the offender’s purpose or plan to perform the voluntary movement that becomes the act of the crime. In criminal law, liability often hinges on both a voluntary act (the physical movement) and the mind behind it (the desire to bring about that act). The description—having the intention to voluntarily make the bodily movement that constitutes the crime—fits intent precisely, because it emphasizes the offender’s purpose to perform the act. Leverage, mechanical compliance, and motor dysfunction don’t capture this intentful, purposeful aspect: leverage doesn’t pertain to mental state; mechanical compliance implies movement without the offender’s own purposeful intention; motor dysfunction points to a physical issue, not the criminal’s intent.