Cetin, Hakan. The effectiveness of the witness security program in the fight against organized crime and terrorism. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3HT2PDF
DescriptionOver the years, witness security programs have developed sophisticated practices from a safe place as the only effective means of protection for the change of identity of threatened witnesses and their relocation to a new place. The success of those operations has had a positive impact on obtaining vital evidence and made witness security a significant factor in struggles to fight effectively against organized crime and terrorism. That is also why Turkey, along with the other countries, established its own witness security program, similar to WITSEC. Yet, although it has been defended arduously by the law enforcement agencies and prosecutors as one of the most valuable tools used against organized crime in the US, there is widespread criticism of the program by some scholars and the media. This research is exploratory in nature, and aims to shed light on the effectiveness of the witness security program in the fight against organized crime and terrorism. At the same time, it compares WITSEC with the witness security program of Turkey. In this context, there is one primary question brought forward: What is the impact of the witness security program on the fight against organized crime and terrorism? In order to better explore the primary research question, the following sub-research questions are examined: (a) What can be done to use the witness security program as an effective tool in the fight against cross-national terrorism and transnational organized crime? (b) How is the witness security program of Turkey differentiated from WITSEC in the context of structure, and how much influence might it have on its own criminal justice system in the future? The goal is here to make an overall contribution to the organized crime and terrorism literature. After examining the literature and the program, the research utilizes key personnel interview data. The study uses qualitative data analysis to include qualitative assessments. Policy and research implications are drawn.
NotePh.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references, abstract and vita.