Which term describes acts illegal because law prohibits them, not because they are inherently wrong?

• A. Phrenology
• B. Classical School
• C. Hedonism
• D. Mala prohibita crimes

Answer: (D)

Acts illegal because the law prohibits them, not because they are inherently wrong. This describes mala prohibita crimes — offenses created by statute to regulate behavior for social order, safety, or policy goals. They’re crimes because the law says so, rather than because the act is morally wrong in itself (which would be mala in se). Examples include traffic violations or licensing offenses. The other terms don’t fit: phrenology is an outdated, pseudoscientific idea about skull shapes; the Classical School is a theory about why people commit crimes and how deterrence works; hedonism is a philosophy about pursuing pleasure. Mala prohibita best captures the idea that illegality rests on prohibition, not intrinsic wrongness.