ANSWERING QUESTIONS OF WITNESS HARASSMENT/VICTIM INTIMIDATION in a criminal investigation

 ANSWERING QUESTIONS OF WITNESS HARASSMENT,

VICTIM INTIMIDATION, in a criminal investigation

________________________________________

HARASSMENT DEFINED: covers a variety of behaviors that are 

offensive in nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that 

demeans, humiliates, and or intimidates a person. In a legal sense,

these behaviors appear as disturbing, upsetting and threatening

to witnesses in a criminal cases. Examples would include showing

up at witness's place of business for the sole purpose of

one of the above intentions. It can also be the doxxing of victim's

personal information; ie, home address to the entire internet. To

doxx witnesses addresses, and places of employment, and 

additionally ENCOURAGE, INCITE, or DIRECT other non-involved 

parties to participate in this behavior. Lastly, an example would

be obtaining the personal cell phone data/number, belonging

to a victim, and initiating UNWANTED contact for the sole purpose

of HARASSMENT OF A WITNESS.

_________________________________________

TYPES OF HARASSMENT

1. ELECTRONIC: unproven belief that you can use the computer,

ie, via email to contact witnesses who have no interest in

being contacted.

2. LANDLORD: the willing creation by landlord and agents,

conditions that are uncomfortable for one or more tenants

to induce the abandonment of a contract.

3. ONLINE: obscenities, derogatory comments about witnesses

4. POLICE: unfair treatment by local officials with threats of

excessive force, threats, and or coercion.

5. POWER: unwelcome attention of a political nature ,

often when a witness is harassed by and through their employer

by a third party. Attempting to assert influence over a witness's

job/fidelity.

6. PSYCHOLOGICAL: humiliating, intimidating, and abusive 

behavior which is sometimes difficult to detect. Name calling,

voicemails, threats, constantly endured by witnesses can cause

incredible torment in people's individual lives

_______________________________________

WORDS AND DEFINITIONS DEFINED

1. HARASSMENT: repeated, continued UNWANTED contact that

serves no useful purpose outside of causing alarm, annoyance,

or emotional distress.

2. WITNESS TAMPERING: act of attempting to improperly

influence, alter, or prevent testimony of a witness.

3. WITNESS INTIMIDATION: can take many forms and arise in

many contexts. Its presence and efforts are not always

self-evident. DEFINED: Anything done with the intention or

purpose of preventing/altering witness testimony to law

enforcement. Overt threats of any kind, violence, implied threats,

threats, emotional manipulation.

______________________________________________

HOW DOES SOMEONE HARASS, TAMPER, OR INTIMIDATE?

  Explicit or implied threats with the goal of sending any

type of written or otherwise, "message" to the victims/witnesses.

This is done by and through the following:

  -physical assault

  -emotional/psychological threats

  -economic threats (threats to have someone fired from job)

 -abusive legal tactics

 -Show of Force; often SOLIDARITY with the offender @ court

proceedings or on social media (bullying, disseminating 

information that is protected and discoverable)

 -STALKING: driving by a victim or witnesses's home as well

as "tracking" a witness.

 -vandalism (ie, keying car)

____________________________________

WHO COMMITS CRIMES OF HARASSMENT, TAMPERING,

AND INTIMIDATION?

 Most intimidation is committed by the offender against

witnesses; be it directly or indirectly. Intimidation tactics of

those supporting the offender are most common. All of their

behavior is done in an effort to avoid consequences. They may

enlist friends and family to also engage in intimidating behavior.

Targets are not limited to victims themselves. This also includes

threats made to witnesses, their family, friends, or other.

________________________________________

WHERE DO CRIMES OF HARASSMENT, TAMPERING, AND

INTIMIDATION OCCUR?

   Often there is a tie in of some domestic violence component.

People who engage in repetitive and offensive behavior (ie DV)

, try to put fear into the witnesses to discourage their testimony.

Intimidation may escalate during pre-trial-period; meaning the

harasser has more time to pressure witnesses and may add

pressure to the trial itself. Witnesses can be accounted on the

way to court, or even while they are on the stand.

______________________________________________

WHY DO PEOPLE HARASS, TAMPER, AND INTIMIDATE

WITNESSES?

  It is always an effort to avoid consequences from criminal

activity. The aim may be to dissuade a specific witness or

witnesses from reporting or testifying, to pressure a witness

to recant, to keep a witness from testifying, or alter previous

accounts given by witnesses.

___________________________________

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

  The Criminal Justice System itself is intimidating to most

victims and witnesses to begin with. Especially those vulnerable

as a result of crime-related-trauma, those who live in

communities where there is distrust of the police.

___________________________________________

HELPFUL PRACTICES

 1. Providing safe transportation to police stations or to court

2. Providing access to advocacy and other services

 3. temporary relocation of victim or witnesses if necessary

 4. the forbidding of MISLEADING CONDUCT on behalf of

the harasser/jail time

______________________________________________

SOME CONCLUSIONS

     Many people refer to themselves as "social justice warriors",

go "real life" in stranger's personal lives, show up at their

property only to hurl insults or incite fear. Not only are all these

crimes CLEARLY, ILLEGAL, it is important to point out that

these CRIMINAL OFFENSES that one chooses to engage in,

knowing the penalties in doing so, that accountability falls

directly on the person/self labeled "journalist" involved in

said behavior. It is important to distinguish here, what 

journalism entails, and what is permissible, ethical, etc.,

and repetitive acts of harassment, with an entirely different

agenda. "JOURNALISTS" do not harass others, they protect

sources, they do not lie, and they do not cross over into

committing crimes as laid out above. Engaging in these behaviors

under the guise of "journalism" is playing out in our court systems

even today. Some self-titled "journalists", think they have no

limits, boundaries, upon their behavior, and repeatedly cross

the line; ending up with criminal charges that hold years in prison

if convicted. Do not confuse those calling themselves journalists,

with those who have an alternate agenda; be it to being attention

and wealth to themselves, to assist the perpetrator in their

defense, or general bad behavior, optics, and ethics. Journalists

have professionalism and integrity and quite simply do not

engage in any of above detailed behavior as IT IS NOT PROTECTED

BY ANY ARGUMENTS OF FREE SPEECH. IT IS HARASSMENT.