§ 1153. Offenses committed within Indian country

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(a)Any Indian who commits against the person or property of another Indian or other person any of the following offenses, namely, murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, maiming, a felony under chapter 109A, incest, a felony assault under section 113, an assault against an individual who has not attained the age of 16 years, felony child abuse or neglect, arson, burglary, robbery, and a felony under section 661 of this title within the Indian country, shall be subject to the same law and penalties as all other persons committing any of the above offenses, within the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States.

(b)Any offense referred to in subsection

(a)of this section that is not defined and punished by Federal law in force within the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States shall be defined and punished in accordance with the laws of the State in which such offense was committed as are in force at the time of such offense.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 758; May 24, 1949, ch. 139, § 26, 63 Stat. 94; Pub. L. 89–707, § 1, Nov. 2, 1966, 80 Stat. 1100; Pub. L. 90–284, title V, § 501, Apr. 11, 1968, 82 Stat. 80; Pub. L. 94–297, § 2, May 29, 1976, 90 Stat. 585; Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 1009, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2141; Pub. L. 99–303, May 15, 1986, 100 Stat. 438; Pub. L. 99–646, § 87(c)(5), Nov. 10, 1986, 100 Stat. 3623; Pub. L. 99–654, § 3(a)(5), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3663; Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7027, Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4397;

Pub. L. 103–322, title XVII, § 170201(e), title XXXIII, § 330021(1), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2043, 2150; Pub. L. 109–248, title II, § 215, July 27, 2006, 120 Stat. 617; Pub. L. 113–4, title IX, § 906(b), Mar. 7, 2013, 127 Stat. 125.)

Historical and Revision Notes

1948 Act

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 548, 549 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §§ 328, 329, 35 Stat. 1151; Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, § 291, 36 Stat. 1167; June 28, 1932, ch. 284, 47 Stat. 337).

Section consolidates said sections 548 and 549 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. Section 548 of said title covered 10 crimes. Section 549 of said title covered the same except robbery and incest.

The 1932 amendment of section 548 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., constituting the last paragraph of the section, is omitted and section 549 of said title to which it applied likewise is omitted. The revised section therefore suffices to cover prosecution of the specific offenses committed on all reservations as intended by Congress.

Words “Indian country” were substituted for language relating to jurisdiction extending to reservations and rights-of-way, in view of definitive section 1151 of this title.

Paul W. Hyatt, president, board of commissioners, Idaho State Bar, recommended that said section 548 be considered with other sections in title 25, Indians, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and revised to insure certainty as to questions of jurisdiction, and punishment on conviction. Insofar as the recommendation came within the scope of this revision, it was followed.

The proviso in said section 548 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., which provided that rape should be defined in accordance with the laws of the State in which the offense was committed, was changed to include burglary so as to clarify the punishment for that offense.

Venue provisions of said section 548 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., are incorporated in section 3242 of this title.

Section 549 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., conferred special jurisdiction on the United States District Court for South Dakota of all crimes of murder, manslaughter, rape, assault with intent to kill, assault with a dangerous weapon, arson, burglary, and larceny committed within the limits of any Indian reservation within the State, whether by or against Indians or non-Indians. The Act of February 2, 1903, 32 Stat. 793, from which said section 549 was derived, accepted the cession by South Dakota of such jurisdiction.

The effect of revised sections 1151, 1152, and 1153 of this title is to deprive the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota of jurisdiction of offenses on Indian reservations committed by non-Indians against non-Indians and to restore such jurisdiction to the courts of the State of South Dakota as in other States. This reflects the views of the United States attorney, George Philip, of the district of South Dakota.

Minor changes were made in translation and phraseology.

1949 Act

This section [section 26] removes an ambiguity in section 1153 of title 18, U.S.C., by eliminating the provision that the crime of rape in the Indian country is to be punished in accordance with the law of the State where the offense was committed, leaving the definition of the offense to be determined by State law, but providing that punishment of rape of an Indian by an Indian is to be by imprisonment at the discretion of the court. The offense of rape, other than rape of an Indian by an Indian within the Indian country, is covered by section 2031 of title 18, U.S.C., and the offense of burglary by sections 1152 and 3242 of such title.

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