The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-11-08
More Powers For
 Inferior Courts
Jurisdict on in State Prison Cases Gwen In mi aw Applies to About All But Justices of the Peace-New Act of Legisla- ture is Now in Force

The last Legislature enacted Chap ter PIP of the public acts, which gives greater power to all courts now hav- ing criminal Jurisdiction. with the possible exception of justices of the peace. The act gives police courts In cities and borough and town courts power to act in cases in which here tofore the superior court only had jurisdiction, and these courts which heretofore were courts of limited Jurisdiction can now take final juris- diction in cases in which the crime is punishable by state prison sentence but none of these courts under the ast has authority to commit to state prison.
 The important part of the act reads: No justice uf the peace shall have final Jurisdiction of any prose cution for crime, the punishment for which may be Imprisonment in the state prison; but in a prosecution for any crime the punishment for which may be fine of not more than $1, 1,000 or imprisonment in the state prison for not mere than three years, or both, any city, town. borough or po- lice court may take final Jurisdiction thereof, whenever upon conviction the court shall determine that no great CT punishment ought to be imposed than that which 1t may lawfully inflict provided that in all cases the accused may appeal from the judgment rem dered,l in cases in which the penalty or punishment imposed is fine of not more than $250, Or Imprisonment for not more than six months or both, etc."
 The books containing the laws which were enacted by the last Legislature have not been generally distributed, and several lawyers in this city did not know of the existence of the stat ute until their attention was called to it yesterday. The new statute gives the courts named authority in more than fifty matters in which they could not heretofore take final action and the act is taken to mean that the courts named can impose d penalty to the extent Of their jurisdiction, all though the specific statutes treating of the crimes provide for state prison sentences. Tha. would mean that in this city the police court could fine an accused $200 and sentence him to jail for six months. where the statute for the crime provided for maximum of three years in state prison and a fine of s1,000. In some of the town courts the penalty for the same crime Hartford DO ice court, as some town courts can impose a fine of $25O and sentence of six months.
 Haretofor these courts of limited Jurisdiction could not take final action in cases where accused were charged with stealing poultry. Under the new statute they can. Neither could courts of limited jurisdiction take action in case of bicycle stealing where the val ue of the bicycle was in excess of $25, but they can under the new statute. Under the old law all cases where one promoted or witnessed a prize fight had to go to the superior court on binding over process, but all courts of criminal jurisdiction with the excep- tion of justices of the peace can now take Jurisdiction in them. There are many other crimes in which all courts but justice courts can now take ju- risdiction, but which they had been barred from taking Jurisdiction in.