Jurisdiction

Give an example of jurisdiction regarding the enforcement of criminal law? What is the relationship of the various jurisdictions (local, state, federal) as applied to criminal law? What would happen if jurisdiction was not clearly defined? Explain.




There are different jurisdictions for a reason, jurisdiction is the authority given to a legal body or to a political leader to adjudicate and enforce legal matters. The term is also used to denote the geographical area or subject-matter to which such authority applies. The different jurisdictions are local state and federal. An example of jurisdiction pertaining to law enforcement is a crime occurs in the state of Arizona and the suspect flees to California, the arrest warrant for the individual is issued. A regular patrol officer in California happens to have contact with the fleeing suspect and he makes an arrest. The patrolman from California then starts the process of extradition or handing the suspect over to Arizona authorities as the crime occurred in Arizona’s jurisdiction. My impression of the relationship between local state and federal agencies is that state and local usually get along fine and the federal is somewhat disliked by state and local. I have read about superiority issues with the federal level of law enforcement but I am not sure of this as a fact. What I have read previously is that the federal agencies such as the FBI like to come in and take over situations and “throw their weight around.” If jurisdiction was not clearly defined I am sure there would be more fighting than there already is regarding who is in charge and who is responsible in regards to criminal cases. The simple crimes and lesser offenses may be mismanaged along with the more serious crimes, it would be a mess without clear jurisdictional boundaries.