Write an essay of 750-1,000 words in which you:
- Address federal and state jurisdiction in criminal cases.
- Explain why we have so many different court jurisdictions for criminal offenses.
- Explain whether the plethora of jurisdictions enhance or detract from the imposition of justice throughout the country. Provide your reasoning.
Below is a Sample Solution.
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- Address federal and state jurisdiction in criminal cases.
The federal jurisdiction in criminal cases applies to the entire country. It also has jurisdiction to specific appeals from the states.
The state jurisdiction is limited to criminal cases within the state.
The US is founded on federalism. This means there is the federal government and the state governments. The various functions such as the criminal justice are also based on the federal structure. The federal structure creates the federal courts and the state courts. These courts have different jurisdiction on criminal cases depending on the nature of crime and its impact on the society. The federal court has broader jurisdiction in criminal cases .It handles criminal cases that have impact in the entire country or the cases that affect many states. The federal court system mainly hears the criminal cases that involve ministers, government agencies and ambassadors as well as the bankruptcy cases. The federal court system also has jurisdiction to specific appeals from the states if the state supreme courts refers the matter to federal courts.
On the other hand, the state jurisdiction is limited to criminal cases within the state. The state courts are structured in different levels from the district courts or trial courts, the intermediate court of appeal and the state supreme courts. The states hear most of the criminal cases such as murder, homicide, robbery and other forms of crime originating from the state. In addition, the state courts are categorized to handle specific matters. The state court system therefore integrates juvenile courts, probate courts ,family courts among others. The appeals from the state criminal cases are heard by the intermediate court or state supreme court depending on the criminal incident.