Civil asset forfeiture is arguably an unconstitutional practice altogether, but it still continues today and is widespread, encompassing thousands of victims who were never charged or convicted of any wrongdoing.

It helps to bring in millions of dollars to the state, enabling them to purchase a wide variety of goods.

In Alabama, the civil asset forfeiture abuse is said to be among the worst in the country, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to law enforcement and there being no conviction required for that property confiscation. To some, it might look like theft, to others it's only acceptable everyday policing, but that might not be the case for long as there has been increasing pushback against this seemingly corrupt and unjsut policy.

Various police departments have been accused of abusing this practice.

There have been a variety of lawsuits that have been launched, challenging the constitutional authority of civil asset forfeiture.

Lawmakers in Alabama have previously insisted that they were going to review their civil asset forfeiture practices, that we might be able to expect some sort of reform on the issue. They sought to make changes that related to the oversight of the practice, so that the government would have more information on how the funds are being used by police, that are coming from property that gets taken from the people.

That didn't change much or prevent the violations from taking place.

However, there has been another effort to make other changes in the state too, such as updating their civil asset forfeiture approach so that a criminal conviction is required before any property can be taken. The bill seeking to make that change, known as the Forfeiture Accountability and Integrity Reform Act was submitted in the beginning of April earlier this year, it's now moving onto the Senate for consideration.

If the changes are approved and implemented, it would mean an attempt to return to the adherence of due process for people in the state, who are supposed to be Constitutionally protected from having their property taken from them, without compensation, if they haven't been convicted of any wrongdoing.

After that bill was submitted, now a federal lawsuit has also been launched naming the Alabama AG as the defendant, claiming that the civil asset forfeiture practice in the state is unconstitutional, violating the Fourth, Eighth, and Fourteenth amendments.

It's about time that Alabama and others make moves to reign in this out of control practice that has unjustly violated the rights of thousands of people for too long now.

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