March 14, 2010 admin 5 comments

Suppose a member of AA confesses to a crime either to his/her sponser or at an AA meeting? Most members say that is Confidential and should Not be reported. Is AA protected by any kind of Confidentiality law? Could they be charged with concealing knowledge of a crime?
Thank you.
Is a Closed AA meeting also considered a public forum?

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Written by JC about 2 years ago.

I believe it is covered under Federal Confidentiality laws

Found this at an AA site:
Please be assured that your alcohol and drug rehab addiction treatment records and information are protected by Federal confidentiality laws and we cannot share your information with anyone unless you give us written consent. Contact a Clinical Outreach Representative in your area if you have any questions or need further assistance

Federal confidentiality Laws is the 2nd link
Written by bikerphilosopy about 2 years ago.

1) No, public forum
2) No, Some members are law enforcement so one should be careful of what one say’s in a Public forum
3) Yes, obstructing justice

those are my answers
Written by lulu muffin about 2 years ago.

Confidentiality in an AA meeting is to protect the person from worrying that the actions he or she was involved in while drunk will not become a source of gossip within the community. They are not protected by confidentiality under the law. Confidentiality for legal purposes is for professionals who have to follow standards set in place by ethics boards run by a group of people overseeing violations. There is not a state or national AA board that certifies and reviews the ethical behavior of AA sponsors and can essentially revoke the sponsor status of someone who violates these standards. If a sponser knows about details about a crime, they could get into trouble for clamming up and obstructing justice.
Written by raysny about 2 years ago.

There is no right to confidentiality in AA.

How can a program that claims NOT to be religious, then claim that they have immunity under the law because they are religious?

Paul Cox tried claiming that his admission to murder at an AA meeting was protected and a federal judge went along with it, but that decision was quickly overturned:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Jul/22/op/op02a.html
http://pub.bna.com/cl/013751.htm
Written by Helen W. about 2 years ago.

I am both a lawyer and a former member of AA.

What you appear to be asking is whether communications between an AA member and his/her sponsor are privileged, as are communications with doctors, clergy, etc. The answer to this is an unequivocal NO. A confession to a sponsor is admissible as evidence in a criminal proceeding.

And from a legal perspective there is no significance to a meeting being “closed.”

When I used to hear fifth steps I’d tell people not to confess anything they wouldn’t want to hear repeated on a witness stand.

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