Christopher Ingraham reports at The Washington Post that the Department of Justice has announced that it's suspending a controversial asset forfeiture program that allows local police departments to keep a large portion of assets seized from citizens under federal law and funnel it into their own coffers.
Asset forfeiture has become an increasingly contentious practice in recent years. It lets police seize and keep cash and property from people who are never convicted — and in many cases, never charged with wrongdoing. Recent reports have found that the use of the practice has exploded in recent years, prompting concern that, in some cases, police are motivated more by profits and less by justice.
Criminal justice reformers are cheering the change. "This is a significant deal," says Lee McGrath, legislative counsel at the Institute for Justice. "Local law enforcement responds to incentives. And it's clear that one of the biggest incentives is the relative payout from federal versus state forfeiture. And this announcement by the DOJ changes the playing field for which law state and local [law enforcement] is going to prefer."
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Sunday December 27 2015, @10:16AM
When does the Justice Department pay the victims for the assets stolen from alleged suspects? Each and every forfeiture that was not ordered by a judge AFTER a conviction, each and every forfeiture that was not part of a formal conviction, was theft. Big Brother held the little guy up against the wall, and beat him into submission, and took all his stuff.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Dunbal on Sunday December 27 2015, @10:30AM
They're not shutting it down, they're switching it to federal law from state law. So now the local cops will have to share the booty. But they are still going to be stealing our stuff.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 27 2015, @12:02PM
The backlash against civil forfeiture has been building. No doubt this was to preempt legislation so it can be resurrected administratively at a later date. Eric Holder started the administrative process just before he resigned - trying to build some legacy that is not Fast and Furious I'm sure. Loretta Lynch loves Civil Forfeiture so, I am guessing, there is some new law in the works a la the NSA "ending" their phone tracking... i.e., let's wait and see for the whitewash bill to "reform" this program to pass before celebrating.