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Adeath threat is athreat, often madeanonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed tointimidate victims in order tomanipulate their behaviour, in which case a death threat could be a form ofcoercion. For example, a death threat could be used to dissuade a public figure from pursuing a criminal investigation or an advocacy campaign.
In most jurisdictions, death threats are a serious type ofcriminal offence. Death threats are often covered by coercion statutes. For instance, the coercion statute inAlaska says:
A person commits the crime of coercion if the person compels another to engage in conduct from which there is a legal right to abstain or abstain from conduct in which there is a legal right to engage, by means of instilling in the person who is compelled a fear that, if the demand is not complied with, the person who makes the demand or another may inflict physical injury on anyone....[1]
In the United States, somejudges during alegal proceeding make death threats stating they hope the defendant will die in prison.[2] An American judge was also removed from their positions due to making death threats towards children while off thebench.[3]
A death threat can be communicated via a wide range of media, among these letters,newspaper publications,telephone calls,internet blogs,[4]e-mail, andsocial media. If the threat is made against a political figure, it can also be consideredtreason. If a threat targets a location that is frequented by people (e.g. a building), it could be aterrorist threat. Sometimes, death threats are part of a wider campaign of abuse targeting a person or a group of people (seeterrorism,mass murder).
In many governments, includingmonarchies andrepublics of all levels of political freedom, threatening to kill thehead of state orhead of government (such as thesovereign,president, orprime minister) is considered a crime. Punishments for such threats vary. United States law provides for up to five years in prison for threatening anygovernment official, especially thepresident.[5] In theUnited Kingdom, under theTreason Felony Act 1848, it is illegal to attempt to kill or deprive themonarch of their throne; this offense was originally punished withpenal transportation, and then was changed to thedeath penalty, and currently the penalty islife imprisonment.
Named after a high-profile case,Osman v United Kingdom, Osman warnings (also letters or notices) are warnings of a death threat or high risk of murder issued by British police or legal authorities to the possible victim. They are used when there is intelligence of the threat, but there is not enough evidence to justify the police arresting the potential murderer.[6]
