Title VIII: Strengthening the criminal laws against terrorism is the eighth of ten titles which comprise the USA PATRIOT Act, an anti-terrorism bill passed in the United States one month after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Title VIII contains 17 sections and creates definitions of terrorism, and establishes or re-defines rules with which to deal with it.
Attacks on mass transportation systems The U.S. Code has a number of regulations concerning railroads.The regulations are defined in title 18, chapter 97. Section 801 added a new section that punishes those who wreck, demolish, set fire to, or disables a mass transportation vehicle or ferry, uses a biological agent or toxin on a train or mass transportation device, without previously obtaining the permission of the mass transportation provider, to cause injury or death, places any biological agent or toxin as a weapon near the facilities of a railroad in order to derail, disable, or wreck the transportation mechanisms, does something to impair the running of the transportation system, including removing or damaging a train control system, centralized dispatching system, or rail grade crossing warning signal, interferes with, disables, or incapacitates any dispatcher, train driver, captain, or person while they are dispatching, operating, or maintaining a mass transportation vehicle or ferry in order to cause harm or death to passengers, does something to cause death or serious bodily injury to an employee or passenger of a mass transportation provider, or makes false allegations that an attempt or alleged attempt is being undertaken to perform a prohibited activity on a mass transportation system If such an offense is committed, then the offender is to be fined and/or imprisoned for not more than twenty years. However, if the activity was undertaken while the mass transportation vehicle or ferry was carrying a passenger at the time of the offense, or the offense resulted in the death of any person, then the punishment is a fine and/or life imprisonment.
Biological weapons Section 817 of the Patriot Act expands the biological weapons statute.The biological weapons statute is defined under title 18, chapter 10 of the U.S. Code. was amended to define the use of a biological agent, toxin, or delivery system as a weapon, other than when it is used for "prophylactic, protective, bona fide research, or other peaceful purposes". The Patriot Act created a penalty of more than 10 years imprisonment, a fine for anyone who cannot prove reasonably that they are using a biological agent, toxin, or delivery system for these purposes, or both.A new clause was created for this punishment, . Section 817 also prevents certain people from shipping, transporting or receiving a select biological agentA "select agent" is defined in "subsection (j) of section 72.6 of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, pursuant to section 511(d)(l) of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-132), and is not exempted under subsection (h) of such section 72.6, or appendix A of part 72 of the Code of Regulations." Those who are restricted are those who are under indictment or have been convicted of a crime that is punishable with a jail sentence of over a year, is a fugitive from justice, convicted drug users, illegal aliens, aliens from certain countries that have been deemed to have provided support for acts of international terrorism, and those who are mentally ill and who have been committed to a mental institution. Penalties for those who are prohibited from transporting or receiving selected agents are fines, punishment of not more than 10 years imprisonment, or both.
Terrorist support A number of measures were undertaken in an attempt to prevent and penalize activities that are deemed to support terrorism. Section 803 of the Patriot Act amends the statute on terrorismTitle 18, chapter 113B to include a new section to prevent the harboring of or concealment of terrorists. This states than any person who "harbors or conceals" someone whom they know or believe to have committed an offense designated under 11 specific other codesThese codes are, in turn, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; section 236(a) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (); and (source: ) will be subject to a fine or imprisonment of up to ten years, or both. These violations may be prosecuted in any Federal judicial district where the offense was committed, or in another Federal district as provided by law.
Section 805 modifies the statute on providing material support to terrorists so that a person being prosecuted "may be prosecuted in any Federal judicial district" where the offense was committed, "or in any other Federal judicial district as provided by law."USA PATRIOT Act (U.S. H.R. 3162, Public Law 107-56), Title VIII, Sec. 805; It also adds four codes to be considered under the title.These codes are , , , and (source: USA PATRIOT Act (U.S. H.R. 3162, Public Law 107-56), Title VIII, Sec. 805, (a)(1). defines "providing material support to terrorists" in subsection (b). Section 805 changes this definition by adding "expert advice or assistance" and "monetary instruments." (a)(1)(A)-(B)
Section 807 of the Patriot Act made a technical clarification that nothing in the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 would limit criminal prohibitions against the provision of material support to terrorists and terrorist organizations.
Section 806 of the Patriot Act amends U.S. forfeiture law to allow authorities to seize all foreign and domestic assets from any group or individual that is caught planning to commit acts of terrorism against the U.S. or U.S. citizens. Assets may also be seized if they have been acquired or maintained by an individual or organization for the purposes of further terrorist activities.
Penalties A number of penalties for terrorism offenses were defined or amended by Title VIII. Section 809 removed the statute of limitations on prosecution for any terrorist offense that led to the death or injury of any person, was amended. while section 810 increased the maximum penalty for destroying an energy facility, providing material support to terrorists or terrorist organizations, destroying national-defense materials, sabotaging nuclear facilities or fuel or the damage or destruction an interstate gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility from not more than 20 years imprisonment to any prison term. was amended. Conspiracy provisions were added by section 811 to criminal statutes that cover arson within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, killings in Federal facilities, the destruction of communications lines, stations, or systems, the destruction of property within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, wrecking trains, material support to terrorists, torture, the sabotage of nuclear facilities or fuel, interfering with flight crews, the carrying on of weapons or explosives on an aircraft, and the destruction of interstate gas or hazardous liquid pipeline facility. Furthermore, section 812 of the Patriot Act specifies that there is to be post-release supervision of terrorists for the rest of their lives, if they committed a terrorist act that resulted in, or created a foreseeable risk of, death or serious bodily injury to another person. was amended.
Cyberterrorism and cybersecurity Several aspects of cyberterrorism are dealt with in title VIII. Under section 814 of the Patriot Act, it is clarified that punishments apply to those who either damage or gain unauthorized access to a protected computer and thus cause a person an aggregate loss greater than $5,000; adversely affects someone's medical examination, diagnosis or treatment; causes a person to be injured; causes a threat to public health or safety; or causes damage to a governmental computer that is used as a tool to administer justice, national defense, or national security.Clarification was made through an amendment to , which deals with fraud and related activity in connection with computers. It is only through these specific actions that civil action may be taken against an offender. was amended, and it was also made clear that "No action may be brought under this subsection for the negligent design or manufacture of computer hardware, computer software, or firmware". Section 814 also prohibits any extortion via a protected computer, and not just extortion against a "firm, association, educational institution, financial institution, government entity, or other legal entity". was amended Punishments were expanded to include attempted illegal use or access of protected computers. The punishment for attempting to damage protected computers through the use of viruses or other software mechanism is now imprisonment for not more than 10 years, while the punishment for unauthorized access and subsequent damage to a protected computer is now more than five years imprisonment. Should the offense occur a second time, the penalty increases to no more than 20 years imprisonment. The Federal sentencing guidelines were amended to allow any individual convicted of computer fraud and abuse to be subjected to appropriate penalties, without regard to any mandatory minimum term of imprisonment.
Section 816 specifies the development and support of cybersecurity forensic capabilities. It directs the Attorney General to establish regional computer forensic laboratories that have the capability of performing forensic examinations of intercepted computer evidence relating to criminal activity and cyberterrorism, and that have the capability of training and educating Federal, State, and local law enforcement personnel and prosecutors in computer crime, and to "facilitate and promote the sharing of Federal law enforcement expertise and information about the investigation, analysis, and prosecution of computer-related crime with State and local law enforcement personnel and prosecutors, including the use of multijurisdictional task forces". US$50,000,000 was authorized for establishing such labs.
Records Under section 815 of the Patriot Act, an additional defense was added against civil actions where it is alleged that there were unlawful violations of access to stored communications and the interception of communications.Specified under title 18, chapter 121 of the U.S. Code. It allows an ISP to show a good faith reliance on requests from a governmental entity that orders them to preserve records and other evidence in its possession pending the issuance of a court order or other process.Such orders are specified under . was amended to allow the addition defense against civil actions.
Definitions Title VIII defines or redefines a number of terms. The terms "domestic terrorism" is already defined under and this was amended by section 802 of the Patriot Act to include mass destruction as well as assassination or kidnapping as a terrorist activity. The definition encompasses activities that are "dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State" and are intended to "intimidate or coerce a civilian population", "influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion" or are undertaken "to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping" while in the jurisdiction of the United States.
When investigating international terrorism, the Attorney General can investigate: the willful production of defective national-defense material, national-defense premises, or national-defense utilities, the destruction or interference of a submarine mine, torpedo, fortification or harbor-defense system, or violates any Presidential Executive Order governing persons or vessels within the limits of defensive sea areas, an assault on the President of the United States, the President-elect, the Vice President or the next in line,