AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Effective Justice today released a paper by Center Deputy Director Derek Cohen examining where and how much the practice of civil asset forfeiture is used in Texas. The paper, Asset Forfeiture by Texas Law Enforcement Agencies, provides insight into the volume and location of forfeitures in Texas.
“Civil asset forfeiture is the practice through which the government can take your property without charging you with a crime and – just like in 48 other states – presents a corrupting incentive to violate due process and property rights,” said Cohen. “Unfortunately, the amount of civil forfeiture in Texas is a mystery as there is no mechanism for separating these from legitimate criminal forfeitures.”
To read the full report, visit: https://www.texaspolicy.com/policy-perspective-asset-forfeiture-by-texas-law-enforcement/
Derek Cohen is deputy director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.