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Witness Protection

by TChris

The Justice Department wants more money for its witness protection program so that it can protect "witnesses who give key testimony in terrorism cases."

It doesn't seem a bad deal to be a protected witness, if you don't mind a lifetime of obscurity. The U.S. Marshalls claim never to have lost a protected witness who "followed the rules," and the pay isn't bad.

Witness families are paid an average of about $60,000 a year until they get jobs in their new communities. The Marshals Service helps them find housing, work and schools for the kids, and taps into a secure national network of doctors and other professionals to provide various services. They help witnesses obtain new Social Security numbers, open bank accounts and find an appropriate church, synagogue or mosque.

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