Jurisdiction (area)

A jurisdiction is an area with a set of laws under the control of a system of courts or government entity which are different to neighbouring areas.

Each state in a federal state such as Australia, Germany and the United States forms a separate jurisdiction. However sometimes certain laws in a federal state are uniform across the constituent states and enforced by a set of federal courts; with a result that the federal state forms a single jurisdiction for that purpose.

It is also possible for a jurisdiction to prosecute for crimes committed somewhere outside its jurisdiction, once the perpetrator returns In some cases, a citizen of another jurisdiction outside its own can be extradited to where a jurisdiction where the crime is illegal

Unitary states are usually single jurisdictions, but the United Kingdom is a notable exception; it has three separate jurisdictions due to its three separate legal systems.