Mississippi

 

Grades
Forfeiture
Law Grade
State Law Evasion Grade  Final
Grade
Mississippi

 

Forfeiture Law
Mississippi provides minimal protections for property owners from civil forfeiture abuse.  The state only needs to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the property is related to a crime and thus forfeitable, a standard lower than the beyond a reasonable doubt required for a criminal conviction.  Moreover, the burden is on the property owner to prove his innocence, effectively making him guilty until proven innocent.  Law enforcement collects 80 percent of the proceeds from any seizures, thus ensuring a profit motive for law enforcement to pursue forfeitures.  There is no legal requirement that law enforcement collect or report data on forfeiture use or proceeds.Some law enforcement agencies in Mississippi seem to have become reliant on such funds to operate.  The Hattiesburg Police Department, for example, took in around $1.4 million over the past six years.[1]  Hattiesburg City Council President Kim Bradley admits that “forfeiture funds are a tremendous help, especially with the recent state budget cuts.”  In the current recession, law enforcement could feel increased pressure to bring in forfeiture proceeds to make up for declining state revenue.


1 Butler, E. (2009, January 11). HPD gets $1.4M in forfeiture revenue.Hattiesburg American, npn.

Forfeitures as Reported to LEMAS (Drug-related only)

 

Total Assets
Forfeited

Assets Forfeited per
Law Enforcement Agency

1993

$2,983,591

$36,175

1997

$13,872,939

$41,579

2000

$4,801,456

$16,360

2003

$6,699,229

$39,677

 

Equitable Sharing Proceeds from the Assets Forfeiture Fund (AFF)

 

Proceeds Returned to State

FY 2000

$1,310,763

FY 2001

$1,227,097

FY 2002

$1,026,045

FY 2003

$1,546,593

FY 2004

$4,278,744

FY 2005

$3,242,740

FY 2006

$5,526,173

FY 2007

$3,254,022

FY 2008

$2,696,655

Total

$24,108,832

Average per Year

$2,678,759

 

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

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