Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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 charging you with a crime. When they do, victims face a maze of short deadlines, complicated paperwork, and a system built so that the government often wins by default.
The Institute for Justice leads the fight against this abuse, in part by publishing Policing for Profit: the best and most complete analysis of civil forfeiture across all 50 states and the federal government. And we’ve just released the Fourth Edition.
Today we talk with IJ's Senior Director of Strategic Research Lisa Knepper and IJ senior attorney Kirby West. We’re breaking down what the report found, how we built it, and what forfeiture looks like from the perspective of the people who have had property taken and had to fight to get it back.
LINKS:
Become a Monthly Donor: ij.org/support/give-now/?recurring=1&amount=5&utm_campaign=monthly-podcast-ad&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_content=p4p-btb
Audio (RSS) Version of the Show: ij.org/podcast/beyond-the-brief
Read the report! ij.org/report/policing-for-profit-4
Report Abuse: ij.org/report-abuse
About Beyond the Brief:
Hear about the cases, issues, and tactics advancing IJ’s fight for freedom—directly from the people on the front lines. Beyond the Brief explores the legal theories, strategies, and methods IJ uses to bring about real world change, expanding individual liberty and ending abuses of government power. Each episode gives listeners an in-depth, inside look at how—and why—we do what we do.
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 charging you with a crime. When they do, victims face a maze of short deadlines, complicated paperwork, and a system built so that the government often wins by default.
The Institute for Justice leads the fight against this abuse, in part by publishing Policing for Profit: the best and most complete analysis of civil forfeiture across all 50 states and the federal government. And we’ve just released the Fourth Edition.
Today we talk with IJ's Senior Director of Strategic Research Lisa Knepper and IJ senior attorney Kirby West. We’re breaking down what the report found, how we built it, and what forfeiture looks like from the perspective of the people who have had property taken and had to fight to get it back.
LINKS:
Become a Monthly Donor: ij.org/support/give-now/?recurring=1&amount=5&utm_campaign=monthly-podcast-ad&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_content=p4p-btb
Audio (RSS) Version of the Show: ij.org/podcast/beyond-the-brief
Read the report! ij.org/report/policing-for-profit-4
Report Abuse: ij.org/report-abuse
About Beyond the Brief:
Hear about the cases, issues, and tactics advancing IJ’s fight for freedom—directly from the people on the front lines. Beyond the Brief explores the legal theories, strategies, and methods IJ uses to bring about real world change, expanding individual liberty and ending abuses of government power. Each episode gives listeners an in-depth, inside look at how—and why—we do what we do.
