A new report from FeedomWorks gives North Carolina’s asset forfeiture program an A-, the second highest score in the country. The report gives two reasons: “The government can only forfeit property if the owner has been convicted of a crime;” and “Law enforcement does not receive any of the forfeiture funds.” The only reason we didn’t earn a perfect score is that, “Afer a conviction, the burden is on the property owner to show why his property should not be forfeited.” Shifting the burden to the government might be something we should think about; nevertheless, as I’ve said before, North Carolina’s enlightened approach to asset forfeiture is definitely one of the many reasons I feel lucky to be here.
by Jon Guze
Senior Fellow, Legal Studies, John Locke Foundation