We can end policing for profit in Alabama

Earlier this year we highlighted a criminal justice issue that doesn’t get nearly enough attention: civil asset forfeiture.

If you or someone you know were to be accused of a crime, the state of Alabama could take and sell your property before you were ever convicted. The process is known as civil asset forfeiture, and every year, millions of dollars in cash and other property is taken from everyday Alabamians, many of whom are never found guilty in a court of law. 

The really insidious thing about civil asset forfeiture is that it encourages policing for profit, rather than the pursuit of justice.

This week, we finally have the chance to pass a bill that will ensure that property is only subject to forfeiture after the accused have been found guilty of a crime, which is how our justice system is supposed to work.

It’s time to end this upside down vision of justice, a loophole in our system that perverts some of our fundamental legal values, unfairly robbing people of their property. This reform bill will move the forfeiture hearing after a conviction, so no Alabamian will have their property seized without first being proven guilty. 

Help us fix our broken system and make sure no one can have their property taken without having been convicted:

Alabama can join other states in outlawing policing for profit through civil asset forfeiture reform, but only if we speak up and ask for it. Thank you, as always, for your support.