In the United States, the Witness Protection Program (also known as the Witness Security Program, or WITSEC) was established by the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, which in turn sets out the manner in which the U.S. Attorney General may provide for the relocation and protection of a witness or potential witness of the federal government, or for a state government in an official proceeding concerning organized crime or other serious offenses. See 18 U.S.C.A 3521 et. seq. The Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 was a Congressional bill signed into law by U.S. President Richard M. Nixon. ... In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... This article is about witnesses in law courts. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The government of the United States of America, established by the U.S. Constitution, is... A state government is the government of a subnational entity in nation-states with federal forms of government, which shares political power with the federal government or national government. ... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ...

Witness protection is the process in which witnesses, such as those who testify in criminal trials, are protected against intimidation before their testimony or criminal retaliation after. The U.S. Federal Government both relocates and gives new identities to witnesses who risk their lives by giving testimony as well as providing financial and employment aid. To help avoid discovery, witnesses are expected to sever all ties with former acquaintances. According to the agency, "No program participant following security guidelines has ever been harmed while under the active protection of the Marshals Service"; contrapositively, nearly all of the witnesses who were harmed had either failed to fully comply, often at times contacting old acquaintances,^[1] or had already left the program. This article is about witnesses in law courts. ... Criminal procedure refers to the legal process for adjudicating claims that someone has violated the criminal law. ...

The Federal Government also gives grants to the states to enable them to provide the same program. 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 U.S. Marshals Service, while protection of incarcerated witnesses is the duty of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. DOJ headquarters in Washington, D.C. Justice Department redirects here. ... The United States Marshals Service, part of the United States Department of Justice, is the United States oldest federal law enforcement agency. ... The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a subdivision of the United States Department of Justice, and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. ...

Normally, the witness is provided with a new name and location. Witnesses are encouraged to keep their first names and choose last names with the same initial. The U.S. Marshals Service provides new documentation, assists in finding housing and employment and provides a stipend until the witness gets on his or her feet, but the stipend can be discontinued if the U.S. Marshals Service feels that the witness is not making an aggressive effort to find a job. ^{[citation needed]} Witnesses are not to travel back to their hometowns or contact unprotected family members or former associates. Around 17% of protected witnesses will commit another crime, compared to the less than the 40% of parolees who return to crime.^[2]

Many U.S. states, including California and New York, 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. The continued criminal activities that some protected witnesses involve themselves in has raised questions on whether or not the program should be abolished.^[3][4] Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... NY redirects here. ...

Known government witnesses

• Joe Barboza
• Mickey Featherstone
• Sammy Gravano
• Henry Hill
• Carlos Lehder
• David Lind
• Nelson Lyon
• Joseph D. Pistone (AKA Donnie Brasco)
• Joseph Valachi
• Leroy "Nicky" Barnes
• Vincent Teresa

Joeseph The Animal Barboza was a Portuguese-American mobster and hit man from East Boston, Massachusetts during the 1960s. ... Police mugshot of Francis Mickey Featherstone. ... Sammy Gravanos mugshot from 1990 Salvatore Sammy the Bull Gravano (born March 12, 1945) was underboss of the criminal Gambino family in the 1980s under John Gotti. ... Henry Hill (born June 11, 1943[1]) is a former mobster and American ex-FBI informant whose life was immortalized in the book Wiseguy, written by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi, and the 1990 Martin Scorsese movie Goodfellas, in which Hill was played by Ray Liotta. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Joseph Pistone as Donnie Brasco (left) with Dominick Sonny Black Napolitano (right) in Florida. ... Joseph Joe Valachi (September 22, 1904 - April 3, 1971) was the first person to acknowledge the existence of the Mafia. ... Leroy Barnes, also known as Nicky, was the premier cocaine dealer in 1970s Harlem. ... Former Boston mobster. ...

Further reading

• WITSEC: Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program, Pete Earley and Gerald Shur, 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

References

1. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7613455/site/newsweek/
2. ^ http://people.howstuffworks.com/witness-protection.htm
3. ^ http://caag.state.ca.us/cbi/content/protection.htm
4. ^ http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00F1EFF3D590C758CDDAE0894DB404482

External links

• U.S. Marshals Service, Witness Security Program
• How Stuff Works, US Marshall's Witness Protection Program