In a criminal forfeiture case the defendant must be proven guilty and convicted of a crime before his property can be prosecuted and seized. In a civil forfeiture there is no jury and the property owner must prove his property not guilty. Asset forfeiture has violated the Fifth Amendment by seizing property from individuals innocent of a crime. By seizing his funds necessary for the payment of counsel and in many cases seizing the payments to his counsel it has violated this right. The abuse of rights caused by the War on Drugs is the reason for its failure.
Man inherently needs freedom to enjoy life.
Governments are set up to protect these freedoms that man so ceaselessly fights for. Human rights have been oppressed throughout history, and the people oppressed have consistently rebuked the goals of the oppressors. The American Revolution is a good example of this. An imperialist Britain repeatedly abused the colonists' rights in America. The colonists declared their independence from the tyrannical British government and fought a war to secure that independence.