A friend of mine is serving time in prison for burglary. He wrote me a letter confessing to a murder he committed six years ago. I am in shock. Should I alert the authorities? He asked me to keep quiet. I thought prison officials read the letters prisoners send out.
2007-02-02 04:40:06 · 16 answers · asked by clank 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
I thought at first he was just pulling my chain, but then he revealed a couple details that got me thinking.
If they do read letters the prisoners send out, surely they would have caught this one.
2007-02-02 04:53:45 · update #1
Outgoing mail is "randomly" checked by MOST correctional institutions however that's not always the case! More often in-coming mail is checked for contraband.
You have a very serious issue that should be PROMPTLY reported to the local law enforcement agency.
As a minimum, they will be able to verify if in fact there IS an unsolved homicide case on record.
Additionally, having the information and NOT taking action COULD be construed as your assisting in the deception of the offense.
I know it's not an easy thing to deal with but know that you ARE doing the RIGHT thing by contacting the police!
Best wishes!
2007-02-02 04:47:23 · answer #1 · answered by KC V ™ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Someone should be fired for NOT doing their job because inmate letters are sensored coming in and going out.
Are you absolutely sure no one read the letter...... they may have and are now doing their research.................
Don't worry about alerting anyone because with this type of crime - there is NO statue of limitations. The case remains open until the criminal is caught.
Just last week a read an article (in the newspaper) about a person finally being arrested for a crime (murder) which occured in the 1960's.
2007-02-02 13:17:39 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Incoming mail into a prison is more scrutinized than outgoing. What you do with the letter he wrote is up to you. Think about it though, he allegedly took the life of someone. A family out there is probably grieving for their loved one. They need closure so that they may start the healing process. If someone had taken the life of someone you loved, wouldn't you want the same.
2007-02-05 23:04:40 · answer #3 · answered by Jennifer M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your friend has put you in a moral dilemma. It is not an easy decision to make, but for the greater good I would alert the authorities on this matter. The deceased persons family has the right to know. If you do not, how long could you live with that secret? If you told someone else about they may report your friend and yourself to the authorities and you will get in trouble yourself for obstruction of justice.
2007-02-02 12:52:28 · answer #4 · answered by sunnys_mom 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You should pass the letter along to the police and let them take it from there. He may just be jerking you around or trying to scare you, then again he could really be the murderer, but in any case they would have to prove that he did it in order to charge him with the crime. You don't have to be the judge as to whether this guy is telling you the truth or not. Let the cops look into it.
2007-02-02 12:49:16 · answer #5 · answered by sarge927 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I used to work at a prison, and yes, everything they write and read is eligible to be reviewed, but that doesn't mean that all of it does.
If the police found out that you knew about this and didn't tell anybody, you could definitely get into big trouble.
Tell somebody. regardless of whether it comes back to haunt you, someone out there has lost a loved one, and they deserve to know who was responsible, why they did it, and to see that person brought to justice.
Don't worry about hurting your jail-bird friend's feelings. There is no honor among theives, and he would sell you out in a minute if it spelled freedom from the joint.
2007-02-02 13:18:00 · answer #6 · answered by elchistoso69 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would not do anything yet. I would ask him to confess. Is someone trying to get off a murder rap they have. Is it unsolved?
Or is the guy serving the prison term in there with him.
2007-02-02 13:37:28 · answer #7 · answered by ALunaticFriend 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whether or not the letter was read is not the point. You need to hand it over to the authorities. You can be held as an accomplice if it were to get out.
2007-02-02 13:32:01 · answer #8 · answered by fancyname 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In my opinion, I think you have to alert the authorities and see what happens from there. Imagine if your were the daughter of the woman who was murdered, or her sister...wouldn't you want that person found more than anything else?
2007-02-02 12:49:32 · answer #9 · answered by melouofs 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You MUST contact the police. If what your friend said is true, then you can get into very serious trouble for NOT coming forward. Unless you are this guys attorney or priest, you'll have no laws to help protect you.
Besides... it's the right thing to do.
2007-02-06 00:41:05 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋