The film Rebel Ridge came September 6 and shot to #1 on Netflix. It depicts a former Marine’s attempts to get his money back after it was taken by police through civil forfeiture. That story sounded pretty familiar to us at IJ.
We have been working to dismantle civil forfeiture for decades, but unlike the film’s main character, our clients aren’t vigilantes who take the law into their own hands; instead, they fight back in court. So how accurate is Rebel Ridge’s portrayal of civil forfeiture?
To find out, we talk with IJ attorney Kirby Thomas West.
Know Your Rights Card
Civil forfeiture is the process the government uses to take and sell your property—including cash, cars, and even homes—even if you have not been convicted of—or even charged with—any crime.
Every year hundreds of thousands of Americans lose their property through civil forfeiture—don’t be one of them!
Your Property or Theirs?
Once your property has been seized by the government there is a byzantine process to get it back. See the steps and pitfalls for navigating a federal forfeiture case in this comprehensive overview.
Learn more about our Civil Forfeiture work.
The Institute for Justice aims to curtail, and ultimately, abolish civil forfeiture, one of the gravest abuses of power in the country today. Unlike criminal forfeiture, which takes property from convicted criminals, under civil forfeiture, property owners do not have to be convicted of a crime, or even charged with one, to permanently lose their cash, cars, businesses or even their homes.
Recent Episodes
Rename Your Bar…or go to JAIL
Mike DiGiacomo and his siblings turned the basement of their father’s old barbershop building into a barber-themed speakeasy. But their attempt to honor their father […]
Listen NowSEIZED CASH: Americans Struggle to Get Property Back
In America, police and prosecutors can take your cash, your car, or even your home through a legal process called civil forfeiture—without convicting or even […]
Listen NowInsane Political Retaliation in Arizona
When an Arizona educator named “Fernie” Madrid ran for Apache County School Superintendent he had no idea it would lead to stalking, anonymous threatening letters, […]
Listen NowWhy is it ILLEGAL to Sell This Box?
Candi Mentink and Todd Collard sell personalized caskets to honor the deceased person’s unique life. They can ship these caskets almost anywhere in the world, […]
Listen Now