Editing Confiscation (section)

==Scope==
As a punishment, it differs from a [[Fine (penalty)|fine]] in that it is not primarily meant to match the crime but rather reattributes the criminal's ill-gotten spoils (often as a complement to the actual punishment for the crime itself; still common with various kinds of [[contraband]], such as protected living organisms) to the community or even aims to rob them of their socio-economic status, in the extreme case reducing them to utter poverty, or if he or she is condemned to death even denies them the power to bequeath inheritance to their legal heirs.

Meanwhile, limited confiscation is often in function of the crime, the rationale being that the criminal must be denied the fruits of their fault, while the crime itself is rather punished in some other, independent way, such as prison term, [[physical punishment]]s or even a concurring fine.

Often, police will [[auction]] items confiscated via [[police auction]] or [[asset forfeiture]] and keep the proceeds. Theoretically, it is possible for owners to buy back confiscated items.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}} 

In [[airport]]s, potentially dangerous items (such as hazardous chemicals, weapons, and sharp objects) are usually confiscated at inspections. Other items, such as certain food, may also be confiscated, depending on importation laws. Depending on the nature of the items, some may be returned at the end of the flight, while most are discarded or auctioned off. The musical comedian [[Anna Russell]] had an Irish harp confiscated by the [[United States Customs Service|U.S. Customs Service]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tZ5VAAAAIBAJ&pg=4708%2C260163|title=Anna Here, But Without Her Harp}}</ref>