---
type: "LegalText"
title: "18 U.S.C. § 4012"
description: "Summary seizure and forfeiture of prison contraband"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
chapter_number: "301"
chapter_name: "GENERAL PROVISIONS"
section: "4012"
citation: "18 U.S.C. § 4012"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc18@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t18/s4012"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-18/usc18.xml"
source_hash: "c865856431cf5324fe29230a50b8b2e0296c2055ee3976b9640847303c3444fe"
raw_snapshot_hash: "1a1bbbbdb59e376ada4eb7ad1056fd68d396679ee7ab59f0561af15006122708"
text_hash: "785907b359fb63fa2ccce2bd61a868f38bc5f6b423a5867e3873b0d53d82b6d8"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 18 U.S.C. § 4012 - Summary seizure and forfeiture of prison contraband

## Text

An officer or employee of the Bureau of Prisons may, pursuant to rules and regulations of the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, summarily seize any object introduced into a Federal penal or correctional facility or possessed by an inmate of such a facility in violation of a rule, regulation or order promulgated by the Director, and such object shall be forfeited to the United States.

(Added Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 1109(d), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2148.)