These Are the Unusual Rules People in the Witness Protection Program Must Follow

Created to protect witnesses whose testimony places them in serious danger, the federal Witness Security Program offers new identities, secret locations, and the chance to start over. Yet life inside the program is far more complicated than simply changing a name and disappearing. Participants may have to abandon loved ones, surrender personal belongings, invent an entirely new past, and follow strict rules that can never be broken. Here’s a look at the unusual restrictions and shocking realities protected witnesses must face.