in the U.S. Constitution, this Act offers federal investigators and prosecutors the opportunity to suspend attention to such rights and guarantees. As Charles Doyle 2002, p. 1) stated,
Critics have suggested that it may go too far.
The authority to monitor e-mail traffic, to
share grand jury information with intelligence
and immigration officers, to confiscate
property, and to impose new book-keeping
requirements on financial institutions, are
among the features troubling to some.
At issue herein, therefore, is the question of how this Act will impact upon civil rights and liberties and the constitutional basis of the rule of law in the United States. The public policies articulated in this Act will be examined with respect to their scope, intent, and potential impact. Alternative policies will be considered that have the potential to reduce the dangers inherent in the Act.
Literature Review
The PATRIOT Act contains an extensive text with numerous provisions designed, in the words of the Act, ôto deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes (USA PATRIOT Act, 2001, p. 1).ö The PATRIOT Act was moved rapidly through Congress from its initial draft to its final adoption in a process that took six weeks (Levy, 2003). President George W. Bush signed the Act into law, commenting at the time that the provisions of the Act would enhance the ability of federal investigative agencies and government in general to detect, deter, and punish terrorists.
The PATRIOT Act contains provisions impacting on criminal investigations domestically, foreign intelligence investigations, money laundering, border protection and other immigration matters, and also establishes new crimes with corresponding penalties. Doyle (2002) points out that one of the major provisions of the Act is...