Indiana

Grades 
Forfeiture
Law Grade
State Law Evasion Grade  Final
Grade
Indiana

 

Forfeiture Law
Indiana has some of the better civil forfeiture laws in the country, at least with regard to the profit incentive.  Unfortunately, to forfeit your property, the government only needs to show that it was more likely than not that your property was related to a crime and thus is forfeitable—the legal standard of preponderance of the evidence, lower than the beyond a reasonable doubt standard required for a criminal conviction.  But law enforcement in Indiana does not receive any of the funds gained through civil forfeiture, which keeps the focus of law enforcement on preventing crime rather than raising funds.  After deducting law enforcement costs for the prosecution of civil forfeitures, all forfeiture revenue is sent either to the general fund of the state or the state’s education fund.  Indiana does participate in equitable sharing with the federal government, averaging more than $2.6 million per year in the 2000s.

Forfeitures as Reported to LEMAS (Drug-related only)

Total Assets
Forfeited

Assets Forfeited per
Law Enforcement Agency

1993

$5,136,967

$45,934

1997

$41,009,686

$69,382

2000

$3,629,890

$7,629

2003

$3,287,229

$7,716

 

Equitable Sharing Proceeds from the Assets Forfeiture Fund (AFF)

 

Proceeds Returned to State

FY 2000

$2,640,559

FY 2001

$2,102,094

FY 2002

$2,224,005

FY 2003

$2,140,236

FY 2004

$2,249,053

FY 2005

$2,563,570

FY 2006

$2,781,017

FY 2007

$2,736,058

FY 2008

$4,322,001

Total

$23,758,593

Average per Year

$2,639,844

 

Freedom of Information Data
No Data Available; Not Required to Collect

 

Learn how states were graded and how data was collected

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