Is it Illegal to Not Report a Crime?
Generally, the United States does not require a person who has witnessed a crime or who has knowledge of a crime to report that information to the authorities. However, exceptions do exist.
Other People Are Reading
-
Mandatory Reporters
-
The law requires people in specific professions to report crimes. These people are known as mandatory reporters. Such persons as teachers, social workers and law-enforcement officials must tell appropriate authorities about instances of child abuse or neglect. The District of Columbia and 48 states have mandatory reporting statutes regarding child welfare.
Other Crimes
-
Besides child abuse and neglect, few other crimes require mandatory reporting. Some states force mandatory reporters to report crimes against the elderly and the disabled. However, people who are not professionals charged with an obligation to report a crime do not need to alert authorities about crimes.
-
Duty to Act
-
Although some states have enacted "Good Samaritan" laws, these only apply in very specific situations where a person needs to be rescued and do not apply to the reporting of a crime. Because reporting a crime is a separate action, the United States does not require it.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Justice image by MVit from Fotolia.com
