The Witness Protection Program (WPP) is a program of the United States justice department that was established under the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 with the goal of protecting witnesses before, during, and after trials. Prior to 1970, the government had issues with prosecuting criminals due to witness tampering or the murder of witnesses, so the government decided to give witnesses bodyguards and protection in order to prevent them from being threatened or murdered by organized crime. The WPP has catered to many leading members of the American Mafia and other criminal organizations, and 8,500 witnesses and 9,900 family members had been protected by the WPP between 1971 and 2013. 95% of WPP members were themselves criminals, and they "turned states" to avoid a long prison sentence or, in extreme cases, the death penalty.