What’s behind the epidemic of forfeiture abuse on our nation’s highways and in cities like Philadelphia? A groundbreaking report released today by the Institute for Justice exposes the profit incentive at the heart of civil forfeiture laws that encourages the pursuit of property, rather than the pursuit of justice.
You can read the report here: http://ij.org/bad-apples-or-bad-laws
Under civil forfeiture laws, law enforcement can take property suspected of involvement in criminal activity without convicting or charging the owner with a crime. In most places, agencies involved in the forfeiture, including prosecutors and police departments, can keep some or all of the proceeds for their own use.
Read the rest here...
http://ij.org/bad-apples-or-bad-laws-release-9-8-2014