New WBUR Investigation Sheds Light On Civil Forfeiture In Massachusetts

14:14

August 18, 2021

Jamie Bologna, Shannon Dooling, Saurabh Datar, Cynthia Betubiza and Ali Audet

A civil forfeiture notice published in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette in 2016 from the Worcester County DA notifying more than 700 people to take legal action if they want to dispute the DA's claims to their money. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Massachusetts is the only state where police and prosecutors can confiscate - and keep indefinitely - property based merely on reasonable suspicion. It's a process called "civil forfeiture," and it's the subject of a new WBUR investigation in partnership with ProPublica. We talk to the people behind the investigation: WBUR Investigative Reporter Shannon Dooling and WBUR Investigative Data Reporter Saurabh Datar.

This segment aired on August 18, 2021.