Title 48, Territories and Insular PossessionsRelease 119-102
§1417 Criminal Jurisdiction
Title 48 › CHAPTER 8 — GUANO ISLANDS › § 1417
Summary
Crimes on the listed islands, rocks, or keys by people ashore or in nearby waters are treated as if on a U.S. merchant ship at sea and are punished under U.S. law.
Full Legal Text
Title 48, §1417
Territories and Insular Possessions, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
All acts done, and offenses or crimes committed, on any island, rock, or key mentioned in section 1411 of this title, by persons who may land thereon, or in the waters adjacent thereto, shall be deemed committed on the high seas, on board a merchant ship or vessel belonging to the United States; and shall be punished according to the laws of the United States relating to such ships or vessels and offenses on the high seas, which laws for the purpose aforesaid are extended over such islands, rocks, and keys.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification R.S. § 5576 derived from act Aug. 18, 1856, ch. 164, § 6, 11 Stat. 120.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
48 U.S.C. § 1417
Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102