U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Justice Department in Washington. Sessions says most of the time, civil forfeiture is an effective law enforcement tool.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Justice Department in Washington. Sessions says most of the time, civil forfeiture is an effective law enforcement tool. / The Associated Press

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to restrict law enforcement seizing cash and property from people who may not be charged with a crime. According to the FBI and the Institute for Justice, police seized more property than burglars stole in 2014. It’s called civil forfeiture. We asked attorney Robert Johnson of Institute for Justice to help us better understand what it means.


Tags: Robert Johnson  Civil forfeiture  Break It Down  Atlanta  Georgia