Publisher's Synopsis
Witnesses play a vital role in the criminal justice system, but one which has received relatively little attention compared with the study of offenders or of victims of crime. Since the early 1990s, however, there has been growing concern about the harassment and intimidation of prosecution witnesses. As a result, several police forces in Britain have set up specialist units to protect witnesses, modelled largely on similar schemes already established in North America. Drawing on his research in Strathclyde in Scotland, Nicholas Fyfe provides the first-ever in-depth critical analysis of a witness protection programme. Allowed unprecedented access by Strathclyde Police, Fyfe describes the structure, operation and effectiveness of this police forceÆs protection programme and examines witnessesÆ experiences of intimidation and protection. FyfeÆs study compares the Strathclyde scheme with programmes operating in the United States and suggests ways in which witness protection arrangements can be improved to meet the concerns of both those working in the criminal justice system and witnesses themselves. - -
