Extraterritorial Application of American Criminal Law

Doyle, Charles

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Criminal justice;    Law;    Criminal law;    Drug abuse;    Drug traffic;   

RP-ID  :  94-166
RP-ID  :  94-166_2007Sep10

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Crime is ordinarily proscribed, tried and punished according to the laws on the place where it occurs. American criminal law applies beyond the geographical confines of the United States, however, under some limited circumstances. The federal exceptions to the general rule usually involve crimes like drug trafficking, terrorism, or crimes committed aboard a ship or airplane. State prosecution for overseas misconduct is limited almost exclusively to multijurisdictional crimes, i.e., crimes where some elements of the offense are committed within the state and others are committed abroad. The Constitution, Congress, and state law define the circumstances under which American criminal law may be used against crimes occurring, in whole or in part, outside the United States