“Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Monday that he wants to see more civil asset forfeiture, the process by which police can confiscate property they suspect is tied to drug crimes. In most cases, some or all of the proceeds from the property seizures then go back to the police agency or prosecutors’ office that initiated the forfeiture. In civil asset forfeiture, the property owner doesn’t need to be convicted of a crime. The police can seize cash, cars, houses, jewelry and other property based only on loose connections to alleged criminal activity — usually drug crimes. In fact, in a large majority of these cases, the owner is never even charged. It’s then up them to go to court to prove their innocence.”