Civil Forfeiture: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Caption notes

In this 2014 segment, John Oliver draws on news reports and case excerpts to criticize the way civil forfeiture operated in the United States. He distinguishes proceedings brought against property from the process by which an owner can challenge its seizure. He also asks what incentives arise when law enforcement agencies can retain the proceeds. The segment ends with a police procedural parody that satirizes treating property as the defendant. This guide presents the argument the show made at the time.