Maine became the fourth state in the nation to abolish civil asset forfeiture, a practice where law enforcement can seize property if they suspect it is connected to criminal activity, even if the owner is not convicted of a crime, reported Reason.
After a bill passed by the state legislature, LD
1521, took effect without the governor's signature yesterday, Maine
officially repealed its civil forfeiture laws, joining Nebraska, New
Mexico, and North Carolina.
Law enforcement groups say civil asset forfeiture is a
crucial tool to disrupt drug trafficking and organized crime by targeting their
ill-gotten proceeds. However, groups like the Institute for Justice, a
libertarian-leaning public interest law firm, say civil forfeiture provides too
few due process protections for property owners, who often bear the burden of
proving their innocence, and creates too many perverse profit incentives for
police.
"Civil forfeiture is one of the most serious assaults
on due process and private property rights in America today," Institute
for Justice Senior Legislative Counsel Lee McGrath said in a press release.
McGrath says Maine's new law "ends an immense injustice and will ensure
that only convicted criminals—and not innocent Mainers—lose their property to
forfeiture."
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