America

Criminal Nation?

How the state steals from those accused of crimes

Cops and prosecutors routinely steal cash from poor people accused of crimes

In 2000, I did a survey of all police departments in Kentucky. One small finding revealed a little-known fact about the practice of civil asset forfeiture (CAF): the average dollar amount seized was only $300.00. The State seizing suspected drug dealers’ property was justified on crippling drug kingpins financially. This finding exposed a dark reality: police and prosecutors were mostly taking small amounts of cash from enormous numbers of everyday people that may or may not have committed low-level drug crimes. 

This cash provided police large departmental slush funds that were obtained not through taxes, but by absconding petty currency and property directly from citizens. The people targeted of course were poor, and had little legal recourse to recoup their money, even if it was seized without basis. Sprint to 2018, and what we’re faced with now, according to the definitive study Policing for Profit, is a State-theft-industry. The Washington Post reported in 2015 that “law enforcement took more money from people than burglars did” — well over 5 billion dollars.

DYI:  This has been going on for far too long as this is nothing more than the cops committing a “shake down” going after those who obviously have little means for recourse.  This blogger here in Georgia still sees new cop cars written on the back end; "this car/truck was paid for by seized drug money".  I would like to know how many of these individuals – whether guilty as sin or not – actually had their day in court?  As hard as this is to believe many individuals – you can’t even call them suspects as they were NOT ARRESTED!  That is nothing more than theft all in the name of the drug war. 

The relationship between CAF and PM is a powerful example: the emergence of a massive extractive industry rooted in the pursuit of profit directly from those that are least able to afford it. 

From this perspective, our criminal justice system is increasingly operating as an out-of-control growth complex concerned only with furthering its own power and size. 

To make matters worse, the Criminal Justice complex is increasingly intertwined with the Military complex, with both taking on the characteristics and functions of one another. 

A development that does not bode well for the ideal of democratic governance.

Police units that have taken on a military posture and attitude especially the SWAT teams is it  any wonder why in your poorer neighborhoods the cops are look upon with disdain and fear.    

What ever happened to the days of a Peace Officer?  

Long gone as more and more of our “local” sheriff and police departments become federalized as they chip away individual rights along with the rights of our individual States thus losing their sovereignty.  The beginning solution is to end this insane drug war by legalization and move to a treatment based solutions.  Most importantly kick the Feds [DHS] out our States removing the strangle hold on our local sheriff and police departments bringing back an era of peace officers.

DYI