Jackson, Miss. – The ACLU of Mississippi applauds the state legislature for passing legislation that promotes transparency in civil asset forfeiture. While we believe the practice of civil asset forfeiture should be abandoned, we also support meaningful reform efforts.

During a hearing last year with the Forfeiture Transparency Task Force, we asked legislators to consider recommendations providing transparency and bolder procedural reforms. We also included these recommendations as part of our Blueprint for Police Accountability report issued earlier this year. Requiring agencies be more transparent with forfeiture practices also promotes accountability. We will continue to advocate for substantive reforms above tracking and reporting the numbers.