The snitch : a sociology of confidential informing

Confidential informing has long been a vital aspect of law enforcement. Reliance on confidential informants, often referred to as snitches, is a particularly consequential and timely issue due to the continued escalation of the war on drugs. Despite its significance, there are no basic descriptions of the practice throughout the social science literature. This void is understandable given the secretive and dangerous nature of the phenomenon. Here, firsthand information is presented that portrays the confidential informant role and the nature of informant-based policing operations. Data was obtained from in-depth interviews with forty former informants identified via a snowball sampling strategy. Confidential informing is depicted as an institutionalized component of a general narcotics enforcement pattern and informants are shown to have considerable influence over police operations. The informant experience is described in three sequential stages: entry, casework, and desistance. Particular attention is given to troublesome aspects of the practice and causes of the problems are identified. The informing function is set in a larger theoretical context as both an integral part and cardinal exemplification of a new trend in the police institution. This trend, termed the commercialization of the police, carries unprecedented potential to alter traditional police functions through redefinition and redirection of enforcement objectives. Inextricably linked with the undercover component, the commercialization transformation cannot be understood apart from the practices that propel it, the chief of which is confidential informing. By focusing on the seemingly obscure topic of confidential informing, insight can be gained to this slowly creeping trend that may prove critical for criminal justice.