Witness protection program
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What is a witness protection program?
A witness protection program is a government service that safeguards individuals whose lives are in danger because they have provided testimony implicating suspects in criminal cases. These programs ensure safety, provided that the witnesses cooperate. Many countries have these formal programs to protect, relocate, and resettle witnesses.
In the U.S., the Witness Security Program (WITSEC), managed by the U.S. Marshals Service, was authorized in 1970. By 2005, the conviction rate at trials involving WITSEC participants was approximately 90 percent. Participants must cut ties with their past, follow program rules, and take on new identities, which can be emotionally taxing. They receive living expenses, resettlement aid, and healthcare. Though participants are expected to become self-sufficient, governments offer stipends aligned with the cost of living for a specific time.
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Why do governments offer witness protection?
Governments offer witness protection programs to safeguard individuals whose testimony in criminal cases puts their lives at risk. These programs ensure the safety of witnesses, which is crucial for the integrity of the trial process, especially when targeting organized crime. Protection often depends on the witnesses' cooperation.
The Witness Security Program (WITSEC) in the U.S. exemplifies this, relocating and protecting witnesses and their families. Similar programs exist in other countries like Canada and the United Kingdom. Participants must follow strict rules, including cutting ties with their past lives, to maintain their protection.
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Who can qualify for a witness protection program?
Witness protection programs, like the U.S. Witness Security Program (WITSEC), are government services designed to safeguard individuals whose testimony in criminal cases puts their lives at risk. Protection is typically contingent upon the witness's cooperation.
In the U.S., up to 95% of WITSEC participants are criminals, with the remainder being bystanders or victims. To be accepted into these programs, participants must cut ties with their past lives, follow program rules, and assume a new identity, which can be emotionally taxing.
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What kinds of protections does the program provide?
Witness protection programs, such as the U.S. Witness Security Program (WITSEC), offer several protections to individuals and their families who face danger due to their testimony in criminal cases. These programs ensure safety by relocating participants and providing them with new identities.
These programs offer basic living expenses, resettlement assistance, and healthcare. Law enforcement helps participants secure long-term employment, school placement, and identifying documents. During high-tension times, like before a trial, witnesses receive 24-hour monitoring. Participants must cut ties with their past lives, follow program rules, and eventually become self-sufficient.
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How do people in witness protection start new lives?
People in witness protection programs start new lives by ceasing contact with their past and abiding by program rules. Relocation involves assuming a new identity, which can be emotionally challenging. Participants can select new surnames and, if they prefer, new first names.
Witness protection programs offer essential support, including basic living expenses, resettlement assistance, and healthcare. Law enforcement aids witnesses and their families in securing employment, school placement, and necessary documents like birth certificates and driver's licenses. Governments typically offer stipends aligned with the cost of living for a limited time, with the expectation that participants will eventually become self-sufficient.
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What challenges do governments face in running these programs?
Running witness protection programs, such as the Witness Security Program (WITSEC) in the U.S., poses several challenges for governments. One major issue involves ensuring the safety and security of witnesses and their families, which requires constant monitoring, especially during high-tension periods like trials.
Another challenge lies in managing the logistics and resources of the program. WITSEC was overwhelmed within a decade of its creation due to understaffing, which led to broken promises to witnesses. Increased funding and staffing became necessary to address these shortcomings.
Additionally, maintaining the integrity of the program is crucial, as most participants are criminals themselves. Governments must manage the risk of recidivism among participants, which, while lower than the national average, still requires careful oversight. Enforcing compliance with program rules is also essential, as violations can lead to expulsion from the program.
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Witness protection program, a government service designed to protect persons whose lives are endangered as a result of their testimony implicating suspects or defendants in criminal investigations or prosecutions. The safety guarantees provided in witness protection programs are usually contingent on the cooperation of the witnesses. Many countries have formal programs in place to protect witnesses and to relocate and resettle them.
Witness protection in the United States
The federal witness protection program in the United States, known as the Witness Security Program (WITSEC), is overseen by the U.S. Marshals Service, America’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. WITSEC was authorized under Title V of the Organized Crime Control Act (OCCA) of 1970. The program, which was begun the following year, coincided with an impetus in law enforcement to target organized crime: government officials began pursuing racketeering charges against select members of major crime families with the passage of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), adopted as Title IX of the OCCA. Gerald Shur, then an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, is credited with developing the witness protection program.
Before the witness protection program was officially sanctioned, witnesses had been informally sequestered at army bases or safe houses. The spate of arrests of crime family members and associates in the 1960s created concerns that other mobsters might kill or bribe important witnesses in these trials. The witness protection program presented an opportunity to keep witnesses safe and maintain the integrity of the trial process.
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Within a decade of its inception, WITSEC was overwhelmed by the number of witnesses it was handling. Criticism from program participants at the time alleged that the Marshals Service was understaffed and that most of the promises it had made to witnesses had been broken. Increased funding and staffing followed. Since 1971 more than 19,000 persons, including witnesses and their family members, have been protected and relocated within the United States, and no witness who has complied with the rules of the program has been injured or killed.
The conviction rate at trials with WITSEC participants providing testimony is high: nearly 90 percent as of 2005. Most of the participants in the program are themselves “criminals”—up to 95 percent, according to Shur’s estimates of the program he founded and oversaw for 25 years. The rest are bystanders who witnessed crimes or victims of crimes themselves. The number of designated criminals in the program makes it the target of some criticism. The recidivism rate among participants is reported to be about 17 percent, however, which is lower than the national average.
Canada and the United Kingdom
In Canada witness protection is overseen by dedicated units of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In the United Kingdom the program, known as the Protected Persons Service, is operated by the National Crime Agency; as of 2014 it is believed that there are as many as 3,000 participants. Conditions of acceptance into these programs are similar to those required to enter WITSEC in the United States.
Rules
Participants in witness protection programs must agree to cease contact with people in their former lives, except through arranged visits or secure messages via the coordinating agency. They must also agree to abide by a list of rules of the program. Relocation involves assuming a new identity, which can be mentally and emotionally challenging for participants. Participants are allowed to choose their new surnames (with certain conditions) and new first names if they prefer. (Witnesses usually decide to keep their first names, however.) The programs provide basic living expenses and money for resettlement assistance, such as apartment security deposits or down payments on vehicles, plus health care. Law enforcement officials help witnesses and their families secure long-term employment and school placement and proper identifying documents, such as birth certificates and driver’s licenses. Governments usually provide stipends in line with the cost of living for a certain period, though participants are expected to eventually support themselves. During times of particularly high tension, such as just before a trial, witnesses are monitored 24 hours a day by the protective agency.
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If participants in WITSEC do not comply with the program’s rules, they can be expelled. Throughout the program’s history, only a handful of high-profile participants have been removed, including Henry Hill, whose life as an associate of the Lucchese crime family is depicted in the critically acclaimed American gangster film GoodFellas (1990). WITSEC was also the subject of a television drama series, In Plain Sight (2008–12).