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Civil Asset Forfeiture

Decent Essays

A recent poll has revealed that the majority of Americans are unfamiliar with civil asset forfeiture, a highly controversial tool which allows law enforcement officials to seize an individual’s private property – including cash, vehicles, and homes – all without conviction, or even charging the suspect with a crime.

The Mackinac Center’s past work on the issue can be read here.

On the HuffPost/YouGov survey, released on Aug. 28th this year – 72% of Americans answered “no” when asked whether or not they have ever heard of the term “Civil Asset Forfeiture.” The poll goes on to reveal that the majority of respondents believe an individual’s property can be seized by authorities “only if the person has been charged with AND convicted of a crime.” …show more content…

While the laws which govern civil asset forfeiture vary by state, the majority of states and the federal government allow law enforcement officials to seize personal property immediately if they believe it “may” be connected to some sort of criminal activity. The standard of proof required thereafter to permanently seize the property varies by state.

Some states require only a “preponderance of evidence” – or in other words, that the property is “more likely than not” connected to illegal activity – a far stretch from the innocent until proven guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt” benchmark necessary for criminal convictions.

In most states, property owners facing civil asset forfeiture are also personally responsible to prove their property – cash included – is not connected to any illegal activity. If they fail to do so, they lose their property for good – regardless of never having been convicted of a crime themselves. In other words, your property is charged, not you, and your property is “guilty until proven …show more content…

According to the poll, when asked what the law should be, “71%” of respondents answered “Law enforcement should only be able to permanently seize money or other property if that person is charged with and convicted of a crime.” Only 7% responded “Law enforcement should be able to permanently seize money or other property if they suspect it’s connected to criminal activity, even if no charges have been filed.”

Respondents also expressed disapproval with the fate of property once it has been forfeited through civil proceedings. Only 13% responded “It should go to the police department’s budget”, while 39% responded “It should go to the state’s budget”, 27% said “It should be used for something else.”

According to the Institute for Justice, a civil-libertarian law firm, about 4 in 5 states direct a large portion of civil asset forfeitures directly to the police department which made the seizure – as well as to the prosecutors who litigated the case. In other words, an incentive for authorities to seize

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