Rights & liberties
civil asset forfeiture
Government seizure of property alleged to be connected to a crime, through a case against the property itself, often without charging the owner.
In full
Because the action is nominally against the property, the owner may bear the burden of proving innocence and has no right to appointed counsel. Where agencies keep the proceeds, the incentive problem is direct. The Supreme Court's incorporation of the Excessive Fines Clause and a wave of state reforms have narrowed the practice without ending it.
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.