240 "the Witness Protection Program" "(also known as the Witness Security Program, orb WitSecb) was established under Title V of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, which in turn sets out the manner in which the US. Attorney General may provide for the relocation and protection of a witness or potential witness of the federal government, or fora 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 s 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 US. Marshals Service, while protection of incarcerated witnesses is the duty of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Normally, the witness is provided with anew name and location. Witnesses are encouraged to keep their first names and choose last names with the same initial. The US. 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 US. Marshals Service feels that the witness is not making an aggressive effort to find a job. Witnesses are not to travel back to their hometowns or contact unprotected family members or former associates. Around 17 percent of protected witnesses that have committed a crime will commit another crime, compared to the almost 40 percent of parolees who return to crime. This has led to action by Congressional committees requiring WITSEC and other witness protection programs to notify local officials of a witness' transfer before relocating them. Many states, including California, Illinois, 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" -- Reference Wikipedia.org back to 240)