Criminal negligence is defined as what?

Criminal negligence is best understood as a scenario involving a reckless disregard for the safety of another individual. This legal concept applies when an individual fails to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that their actions pose to others, thus resulting in potential harm or injury. The key component here is the 'reckless disregard'—which implies that a person is aware of the risk but chooses to ignore it, leading to dangerous outcomes.

In criminal law, this is more severe than ordinary negligence because it suggests a level of indifference to the potential consequences of one's actions. The distinction signifies that the individual’s conduct was not just careless but showed a troubling lack of concern for the well-being of others, which could result in legal repercussions.