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

Contact with loved ones can create a trail leading directly to a witness. Phone records, caller identification, letters, and return addresses may reveal where someone is hiding. Because of this, participants may be forbidden from calling or writing directly to people they left behind.

Letters may need to pass through a secure government mail system before reaching their destination. Calls can also require special arrangements or be stopped completely. A protected witness may know that family members are worried, yet still be unable to pick up the phone and explain where they went.