Pros And Cons Of Civil Forfeiture

The criminal justice system is a used to protect our society from those who try to harm it. Departments such as courts, and police officers study the behavior of criminals; they want our communities to be safe. When a crime is committed these departments work together to protect the rights of our society and our own. As stated in the textbook, a crime is the “Conduct in violation of the criminal laws of a state, the federal government, or a local jurisdiction for which there is no legally acceptable justification or excuse” (Schmalleger). Our system is a balanced system, there are times where have to think about our own rights as one person, but there are also times where we have to include other people. We must think of our society and

This bill now requires a criminal conviction for “unlawful manufacture or cultivation of any controlled substance or its precursor” before any law enforcement agency can utilize asset forfeiture to recover the expenses of seizing, destroying, or taking any remedial action related to the controlled substance. [Health and Safety Code § 11470.1(c)]

A Civil court is as the name implies a court system based on disputes between average citizens which are far different from a criminal court where you are dealing with convicts. Just like a criminal court, a civil court also has a set of procedures listed by the judicial system in 1937 with over 86 different rules. Civil cases usually involve disputes between people or organizations. The court case Fenton v. Dudley in 2014. Fenton V. Dudley is “A lawsuit against lawyers who had filed a Fair Housing Act lawsuit against the plaintiff, which is the person who filed the lawsuit, and it later made its way from federal court to state court” (“Civil Rights -- federal court jurisdiction”). Both Civil and Criminal court both have the privilege of a trial by jury, depending on the circumstance.

Even though civil forfeiture is a practice that happens all around the United States, it is a system that many say the police are able to abuse for their own profit. There have been numerous cases where many individuals have been locked in legal battles with the United States government trying to prove that their assets are indeed innocent and not involved with any crimes. Many feel that the civil forfeiture is a form of “policing for profit” especially since many of the assets are used under the Equitable Sharing Program. (Crawford) police can stop motorists, possibly under the pretext of a minor traffic infraction, and "analyze" the intentions of motorists by assessing nervousness, and request permission to search the vehicle without a warrant,

About 6.1 million Americans convicted of a felony have been barred from voting by the law in most states (Chung 1). The condition regarded to as felon disenfranchisement is controlled by laws provided for by the individual states within the US. Unlike the states of Maine and Vermont which allow felons the right to vote while in incarceration, most other states have withdrawn the right from convicts. Ten states in the country have permanently restricted specific felons from participating in elections. With the argument that the country’s legacy in safeguarding democracy through felon disenfranchisement, opponents of the idea assert that by completing their sentences, felons have paid the debt owed to the society and should have their privileges and rights fully restored. They further assert that part of the efforts to uphold democracy is to get rid of unfair provisions such as laws advocating for felon disenfranchisement. On the other hand, proponents note that felons and ex-felons should be allowed to vote due to the expression of their poor judgment. While the debate continues to elucidate divergent views, numerous factors illustrate that felon disenfranchisement is inconsequential and does not contribute to the betterment of the country.

society for so long. He felt that he entered a dystopia where everyone had become a secret agent wearing wires. He lost all his family connections while serving his sentence. Currently, he relies on government assistance and is restricted to a curfew (Johnson).

One of the main reasons Europeans came to America was religious freedom.(Mayflower Compact,1620) In the years before Columbus, several religions emerged such as Protestantism which also branched off into several other different religions. When people of these beliefs were surrounded by people of another religion they were often mock. Then they found this new land, and people of these religions saw it as a chance for them to live without people persecuting them. Examples of this are the Separatists and Puritans which believed in different things, but they both wanted religious freedom.

Search and seizure is a vital and controversial part of criminal justice, from the streets to the police station to court. It is guided by the Fourth Amendment, which states that people have the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure of their bodies, homes, papers, and possessions and that warrants describing what and where will be searched and/or seized are required to be able to search the above things (“Fourth Amendment,” n.d.). Interpretations of the Fourth Amendment by the U.S. Supreme Court and the establishment of case law by many state and federal courts have expanded upon the circumstances under which search and seizure is legal. Several doctrines and exceptions have also emerged from the Supreme Court and other case law that guide law enforcement officers on the job and aid lawyers in court.

In pursuit of the war on drugs, changes had been made to the nature of law enforcement and prosecution. Law enforcement have now been more empower with these new policies seem to have diminish civilians rights, such policies gave law enforcement power to violate third and fourth amendment. “Using general warrants, British soldiers were allowed to enter private homes, confiscate what they found, and often keep the bounty for themselves. The policy was reminiscent of today’s civil asset forfeiture laws.”(Balko, R, 2013) The civil asset forfeiture statute is an asset seizure of possessions that are alleged proceeds from criminal activity. Criminal activity over the decades had developed and more organized. Criminals would get their mandatory minimum sentence and the crime enterprise would just continue, but legislators’ passed a statute to dismantle entire criminal organizations and it’s known as Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations or R.I.C.O. Passed in 1970 it was used in the prosecution of Sicilian mafia in New York city. Instead of prosecuting criminals individually such as solders and capo, it was effective in shutting down entire criminal organizations. R.I.C.O statute appeared to be effective on the war on drugs. The combination of the two policies provided incentives to battle the war on drug. Assets were disseminated among various law enforcement departments, putting more officers on the streets, obtaining newer police vehicles and countless equipment for law

Often times, DEA agents seize property that was associated in drugs. Such as houses with illegal drugs or drug money, cars, land, sometimes even private jets or helicopters. (Oldenburg).

This can go for any person who is a suspected or who have done the crime. Search and seizure term can mean the “examination of a person's premises by law enforcement officers looking for evidence of the commission of a crime, and the taking (seizure and removal) of articles of evidence”, from legal terms and definitions. According to Computer forensics: Cybercriminals, laws, and evidence this can mean “a legal procedure whereby law enforcement agents conduct an examination of a premises and forcibly take property of potential evidentiary value from a person who is suspected of violating or has violated the law”. How well do you know the Fourth

The criminal justice system has been proven to play a very important role in society. The criminal justice system is used to keep the citizens in check and to make sure that the laws that are made are being followed. It also is there to penalize anyone who disobeys the laws. In the criminal justice system, there are 3 main parts, law enforcement, adjudication, and corrections. Law enforcement is self-explainable. It consists of the law enforcers such as police officers and sheriffs. Adjudication is made up of people in the court house such as judges and lawyers. Corrections is made up of jailhouse matters such as prison officials. In these many components of the criminal justice system, there are all put in place to help correct people to do the right thing. There are punitive efforts and rehabilitative efforts. At time, the system may lean towards one category or more, which can be dangerous in terms of disciplinary action. The criminal justice system is more punitive than rehabilitative which makes the system ineffective.

Many people who develop addictions with dangerous drugs such as heroin and cocaine have started somewhere smaller. Marijuana is a common street drug and there is lots of controversy around it. There are several arguments about its use, and one of them is whether it is a gateway drug.

Throughout the course of history, many societal conflicts, both internal and external, have been attributed to prejudice. Within the 21st century, one of the most prevalent forms of such prejudice within the United States include Islamophobia— the prejudice against Muslims. Fueled by fear from the September 11 attacks, many Americans have developed an negative attitude toward practitioners of Islam due to mass media, causing an unjustified discrimination in actions including but not limited to hate crimes, controversy and bullying within the educational sector, and unfair legislation against Muslims. Islamophobia needs to be combated through the educating of Americans that hold this anti-Muslim mindset, in order to foster a positive environment

The Criminal Procedure Code, Customs & Excise Laws and several other penal statutes in India have used diction which accepts forfeiture as a kind of penalty.