In the context of law, which of the following refers to the necessary elements needed to prove a crime occurred?

The term that refers to the necessary elements needed to prove that a crime has occurred is "corpus delicti." This legal concept encompasses two essential components: the occurrence of a specific injury or loss and that this injury or loss was caused by someone's criminal action. Essentially, corpus delicti establishes that a crime has indeed taken place before a person can be convicted of that crime.

Understanding corpus delicti is crucial in legal proceedings as it prevents wrongful convictions based solely on confessions or circumstantial evidence without substantive proof of a crime. For example, even if someone confesses to a theft, without demonstrating that the theft actually occurred – such as showing that property was indeed taken without the owner’s consent – the confession alone isn't sufficient for prosecution.

In contrast, mens rea refers to the mental state or intention of the person committing the crime, while actus reus denotes the physical act of committing the crime. Due process, on the other hand, relates to the fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizen's entitlement to legal rights. These concepts are important in their own rights, but they do not encapsulate the overall idea of proving that a crime has been committed, which is why corpus delicti is the correct answer