The offense of knowingly providing shelter, concealment, or other assistance to a person the harborer knows is wanted by law enforcement, or has escaped from custody, with the intent to help the fugitive avoid arrest, prosecution or the completion of a sentence. It is prosecuted as a distinct offense from the fugitive's own underlying crime, on the reasoning that a person who knowingly assists another in evading justice commits a separate wrong against the administration of justice itself, and most jurisdictions require proof the harborer had actual knowledge of the person's fugitive status, distinguishing the offense from unknowingly housing a person who later turns out to be wanted.
Facts
Classification CodeUnder the US federal statute 18 U.S.C. 1071, concealing a person from arrest after notice a warrant has issued is punishable as a fine or imprisonment of not more than one year, or both, for a base warrant 1 Typical PenaltyUnder 18 U.S.C. 1071, if the underlying warrant was for a felony charge or issued after conviction, the punishment rises to a fine or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both 1 Elements of OffenseUnder the related federal accessory after the fact offense, 18 U.S.C. 3, the person must receive, relieve, comfort or assist the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial or punishment 2 Notable ExampleThe closely related common law offense of accessory after the fact is defined as a person who, knowing a felony to have been committed, receives, relieves, comforts, or assists the felon 3 Jurisdiction VariationIn the United States, accessories after the fact, which includes harboring a fugitive, generally receive only half the fine and half the prison time that the principal offender faces, a reduced penalty structure that differs from jurisdictions that historically treated accessories the same as principals 3 Classification
Offense GradeMinor or Summary Offense 1 Connections
Has Offense Grade
Entity-backed identity for the offense-grade enum value this offense already carries, resolved to a crime concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The offense-grade fact itself stays on the offense unchanged.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. 18 U.S. Code 1071, Concealing Person from Arrest (Cornell LII)
Section 1071, base clause
Whoever harbors or conceals any person for whose arrest a warrant or process has been issued under the provisions of any law of the United States, so as to prevent his discovery and arrest, after notice or knowledge of the fact that a warrant or process has been issued for the apprehension of such person, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both
Section 1071, felony warrant clause
except that if the warrant or process issued on a charge of felony, or after conviction of such person of any offense, the punishment shall be a fine under this title, or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.
View the Source2. 18 U.S. Code 3, Accessory after the fact (Cornell LII)
Section 3 elements clauseQuote, Section 3 elements clause
Receives, relieves, comforts or assists the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial or punishment
3. Accessory after the fact (Wikipedia)
Historical context section
An accessory after the fact may be, where a person, knowing a felony to have been committed, receives, relieves, comforts, or assists the felon.
Jurisdiction specific penalties, United States section
only half the fine and half the prison time that principals face.
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