Which term describes offenses illegal due to statute rather than inherent moral wrong?

• A. Mala prohibita
• B. Mala in se
• C. Felonies
• D. Infractions

Answer: (A)

Offenses that are illegal because a law says so, not because they are morally wrong in themselves, are described as mala prohibita. The key idea is that their wrongfulness is defined by legal prohibition rather than by inherent harm or immorality. Examples include traffic violations or licensing breaches—acts that may not be evil in nature, but are illegal because statutes prohibit them. This contrasts with mala in se, which covers acts that are wrong by their very nature, like murder or theft. The other terms don’t capture this distinction: felonies categorize crimes by how serious they are, not by whether they are morally wrong; infractions are a subset of mala prohibita, typically the least serious offenses. So mala prohibita best fits the concept of offenses illegal due to statute.