Asset Forfeiture editorial by Fred Foldvary. When criminals are caught, they are considered innocent until proven guilty, and they are entitled to Constitutional rights of due process. But some acts and possessions are considered to be civil cases by the government, without the legal protections that murderers, thieves, and rapists have. Civil asset forfeiture means the confiscation of property by the government when it considers it a civil rather than a criminal case. Seizure occurs when the government takes property.
Forfeiture means the legal title is transferred to the government.
The perpetrator is the property rather than the person. In normal civil cases, one person sues another person for something the other did, such as not fulfill a contract. But when the government uses civil forfeiture, there is no contract violation. The government also does not need to prove guilt. There is only some property which is considered to be an offense or associated with an offense, and the government just seizes it.