A Deep Dive Into Civil Asset Forfeiture Found That Most Don’t Fight To Reclaim Property

This week in Texas politics with The Texas Tribune.

By Rhonda FanningJune 7, 2019 2:20 pm,

It’s time for the week that was in Texas politics with Jolie McCullough, criminal justice reporter for the The Texas Tribune.

Civil asset forfeiture, a practice that some have described as de facto robbery by police, allows Texas law enforcement officers to seize money and property with little oversight or transparency. The Tribune released a study Friday, which analyzed 560 cases from four counties to shine a light on the controversial practice.

McCullough says police can take money and property without convicting or even charging anyone of a crime, and almost 60% of people whose belongings were seized did not fight to get them back.

“Police are often seizing low-cash seizures under $3,000,” McCullough says.“It goes through the civil courts, not the criminal courts, so you don’t have the right to an attorney.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– How civil asset forfeiture is used in different parts of Texas

– Why Texas police take money and property even when someone isn’t charged with a crime

– Why people don’t fight to get their money back

 

Written by Hayden Baggett.