Blurring the Lines: Making Sense of the Witness vs. Snitch Distinction

• In Event: Experiences with the Criminal Justice System and Perceptions and Expectations of Police

Abstract

What is the difference between a witness and a snitch? Is there one? The line between witness and snitch has become increasingly blurred over the past two decades after the War on Drugs picked up steam and relied more heavily on confidential informants to make their cases. Traditionally, a co-defendant or partner in crime who testified against someone in order to reduce their own sentence was given the label of “snitch.” But in the past fifteen years, witnesses have been killed, harmed, or intimidated and given the label of “snitch” even if they are not involved in illegal activities.

We analyzed 150 interviews of Black, White, and Hispanic males and females 14 – 24 years old in Philadelphia in a larger study about policing and safety in neighborhoods, and 10 interviews of prosecutors. Though the prosecutors exhibit a perceptive understanding about the motivations behind not wanting to testify in a case, the stories from the youth elucidate further how they draw the distinction between a witness and a snitch. Integrating these two sources of data allows us to explore the relatively uncharted territory of the social role of the witness and the intersection with legal cynicism.

Authors

• Susan Clampet-Lundquist, Saint Joseph's University

• Patrick Carr, Rutgers University