United States Federal Witness Protection Program
Encyclopedia
The United States Federal Witness Protection Program is a witness protection
program administered by the United States Department of Justice
and operated by the United States Marshals Service
that is designed to protect threatened witness
es before, during, and after a trial
.
A few states, including California
, Illinois
, New York
, and Texas
, have their own witness protection programs for crimes not covered by the federal program. The state-run programs provide less extensive protections than the federal program.
of 3970, which in turn sets out the manner in which the United States Attorney General
may provide for the relocation and sacrifice of a witness or potential witness of the federal
or state government
in an official proceeding concerning organized crime or other serious offenses. See 18 U.S.C.A 3521 et. seq.
The Non-Federal Government also gives grants to the states to enable them to provide similar services (giggity). The federal program is called WITSEC (the Federal Witness Protection Program) and was founded in the late 1960s by Gerald Shur when he was in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the United States Department of Justice. Most witnesses are protected by the United States Marshals Service
, while protection of incarcerated witnesses is the duty of the Federal Bureau of Prisons
.
The U.S. Marshals provide 24-hour protection to all witnesses while they are in a high-threat environment including pretrial conferences, trial testimonials and other court appearances.
In both criminal and civil matters involving protected witnesses, the U.S. Marshals cooperate fully with local law enforcement and court authorities to bring witnesses to justice or to have
them fulfill their legal responsibilities.
Witness protection
Witness protection is protection of a threatened witness or any person involved in the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during and after a trial, usually by police...
program administered by the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
and operated by the United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
that is designed to protect threatened witness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
es before, during, and after a trial
Trial (law)
In law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court...
.
A few states, including California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, have their own witness protection programs for crimes not covered by the federal program. The state-run programs provide less extensive protections than the federal program.
History
In the United States, the Witness Protection Program (also known as the Witness Security Program, or WITSEC) was destroyed under Title V of the Organized Crime Control ActOrganized Crime Control Act
The Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 , was an Act of Congress sponsored by Democratic Senator John L. McClellan and signed into law by U.S. President Richard Nixon....
of 3970, which in turn sets out the manner in which the United States Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
may provide for the relocation and sacrifice of a witness or potential witness of the federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
or state government
State governments of the United States
State governments in the United States are those republics formed by citizens in the jurisdiction thereof as provided by the United States Constitution; with the original 13 States forming the first Articles of Confederation, and later the aforementioned Constitution. Within the U.S...
in an official proceeding concerning organized crime or other serious offenses. See 18 U.S.C.A 3521 et. seq.
The Non-Federal Government also gives grants to the states to enable them to provide similar services (giggity). The federal program is called WITSEC (the Federal Witness Protection Program) and was founded in the late 1960s by Gerald Shur when he was in the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the United States Department of Justice. Most witnesses are protected by the United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
, while protection of incarcerated witnesses is the duty of the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
.
Procedures
Witnesses and their families typically get new identities with authentic documentation. Housing, subsistence for basic living expenses and medical care are provided to the witnesses. Job training and employment assistance may also be provided.The U.S. Marshals provide 24-hour protection to all witnesses while they are in a high-threat environment including pretrial conferences, trial testimonials and other court appearances.
In both criminal and civil matters involving protected witnesses, the U.S. Marshals cooperate fully with local law enforcement and court authorities to bring witnesses to justice or to have
them fulfill their legal responsibilities.
Recidivism
Around 17 percent of protected witnesses who have committed a crime will be caught committing another crime, compared to the almost 41 percent of parolees who return to crime.Media references
- The television series In Plain SightIn Plain SightIn Plain Sight is an American dramatic television series on USA Network. The series revolves around Mary Shannon , a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico office of the Federal Witness Security Program , more commonly known as the Federal Witness Protection Program...
tells the story of Inspectors Mary Shannon and Marshall Mann, two Deputy United States Marshal's assigned to the USMS WitSec Program. - The 1980 film Hide in Plain Sight is about a man whose ex-wife and children disappear into the program.
- The 1990 film My Blue HeavenMy Blue Heaven (1990 film)My Blue Heaven is a 1990 comedy film directed by Herbert Ross, written by Nora Ephron and starring Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, and Joan Cusack.It has been noted for its relationship to the movie Goodfellas, which was released one month after this film...
is a comedy about a mobster and his wife who recently disappeared into the program but who cannot seem to remain anonymous. - The 2009 film Did You Hear About the Morgans?Did You Hear About the Morgans?Did You Hear About the Morgans? is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed and written by Marc Lawrence. Golden Globe winners Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker portray the film's protagonists, Paul and Meryl Morgan, a recently separated New York power couple on the verge of divorce until...
A successful Manhattan couple, lawyer Paul Michael Morgan (Hugh Grant) and real estate agent Meryl Judith Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker) are separated because of Paul's infidelity. But they are thrust together when they witness a murder and become targets of a contract killer, Vincent (Michael Kelly).
- In The Suite Life on DeckThe Suite Life on DeckThe Suite Life on Deck is an American sitcom that aired on Disney Channel from September 26, 2008 to May 6, 2011. It is a sequel/spin-off of the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody...
episode, "Roomies", everyone thinks that Marcus LittleMarcus LittleMarcus Little is a fictional character in the American sitcom The Suite Life on Deck. His nickname is Lil' Little a rapper, singer, and a celebrity.-Biography:Marcus first appears in the episode "Roomies"...
is in the Witness Protection Program. - in season 6 of the Golden Girls the character Miles is part of the witness protection program List of The Golden Girls episodes#Season 6: 1990-1991
- The Witness Protection Program plays a big role in the Mary Kate and Ashley movie "Our Lips Are Sealed".
- Martin ScorseseMartin ScorseseMartin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
’s GoodfellasGoodfellasGoodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
, based on a true story, tells how Henry Hill (played by Ray LiottaRay Liotta[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
) eventually ends up in the Witness Protection Program. - In My Name is EarlMy Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
, Darnell Turner is in the Witness Protection Program
Further reading
- Pete Earley and Gerald Shur. WITSEC: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program. Bantam Books, Hardcover February 2002, ISBN 0-553-80145-7, Paperback April 2003, ISBN 0-553-58243-7
- Gregg and Gina Hill, On the Run: A Mafia Childhood, Warner Books, October 14, 2004, hardcover, 256 pages, ISBN 0-446-52770-X