Civil Asset Forfeiture: A Judicial Perspective

Abstract

Civil Asset Forfeiture (CAF) is a longstanding and controversial legal process viewed on the one hand as a powerful tool for combating drug crimes and on the other hand as a violation of the rights of US citizens. Data used to support both sides of the controversy to date has come from government sources representing records of the events at the time of occurrence. Court dockets represent litigation events initiated following the forfeiture, however, and can thus provide a new perspective on the CAF legal process. This paper will show new evidence supporting existing claims about the growth of the practice and bias in its application based on the quantitative analysis of data derived from these court cases.