General Information Concerning Witness Tampering

By Eula Nichols


Witness tampering is a legal term. It is traditionally defined as the threat or harm that is done to a witness in an effort to influence his or her testimony in a court setting. Testimony by a witness is often used by plaintiffs and defendants as evidence in criminal and civil cases.

Interfering with these testimonies is largely considered a major offense. It is known to disrupt civil cases and criminal prosecutions. In an attempt to protect the justice system and its integrity, these kinds of actions are punished by law in most parts of the world, including the United States of America.

These testimonies are a very important component of proving cases. An example of what role these play in the justice system: an eye witness reports all that he or she has seen before, during or after the event in question. This single report can, in some instances, be all the evidence that is necessary to convict a suspect guilty. It might also be enough to prove that a case against an individual is conclusive.

There are many different types of witnesses that may be used in this process. Character kinds are those who are called upon to testify about the specific qualities or character of a plaintiff or defendant. Expert types are those who have no personal knowledge or information about the specific people or events involved in a case. Still, they are called on because they are experts equipped to share a hypotheses or opinion of what took place based on knowledge in a certain field.

Having witnesses is helpful because they can be used to replay events that took place. This is especially true when there are disagreements about what occurred in a particular instance. They might also help the jury or court when it comes to deciding whether or not a crime was committed and if so, by whom.

For these reasons, it is so important that tampering be handled like a major crime. People who are guilty of this may face many different punishments, depending on several factors. In cases where physical threats were made toward witnesses, the consequences are severe. People convicted of this may spend up to 10 years in jail. If physical force was used, the sentencing time could be extended to up to 20 years. Tampering does not need to be successful in order for it to be treated as a crime and people involved to receive punishment.

This action is taken with the intent to alter or coerce the testimony of a witness through means that are considered illegal. In other words, this might involve making physical threats to the family and friends of the witness, as well as the person who is set to testify. This classification might also be used to describe bribery of these individuals. For example, a defendant involved in a criminal or civil case may offer money or some other thing of value to a person who is set to testify in exchange for a falsely testifying in his or her favor.

In America, witness tampering is considered a federal crime that is not taken lightly. This is used to describe tampering with witnesses, victims or informants. A person who is suspected of doing this may face multiple charges, including extortion, bribery and coercion, and is likely to receive severe consequences if found guilty.




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