United States Federal Witness Protection Program

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 witnesses 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.

History

In the United States, the Witness Protection Program (also known as the Witness Security Program, or WITSEC) was established under Title V of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, which in turn sets out the manner in which the United States Attorney General may provide for the relocation and protection 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 Federal Government also gives grants to the states to enable them to provide similar services. 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.

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 Sight tells the story of Inspectors Mary Shannon and Marshall Mann, two Deputy United States Marshalls 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 Heaven 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? concerns a successful Manhattan couple, lawyer Paul Michael Morgan (Hugh Grant) and real estate agent Meryl Judith Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker). Separated because of Paul's infidelity, they are thrust together when they witness a murder and become targets of a contract killer, Vincent (Michael Kelly).
• In The Suite Life on Deck episode, "Roomies", everyone thinks that Marcus Little is in the Witness Protection Program.
• In 1996 film "Eraser" Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Caan both work for the federal 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 Scorsese's Goodfellas, based on a true story, tells how Henry Hill (played by Ray Liotta) eventually ends up in the Witness Protection Program.
• In My Name is Earl, 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

External links

• U.S. Marshals Service, Witness Security Program
• How Stuff Works, US Marshals Witness Protection Program
• FBI newsletter description