Reducing Deaths in Law Enforcement Custody: Identifying High-Priority Needs for the Criminal Justice System

Congress enacted the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (DCRA) to address the lack of reliable information about law enforcement–related deaths and deaths in correctional institutions. The U.S. Department of Justice has conducted several activities designed to respond to the provisions specified in DCRA and has issued federal mandates toward achieving a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and characteristics of deaths that occur in law enforcement custody. Despite these efforts and without any mandated enforcement of the Act, the requirements set forth in DCRA have not been fulfilled. There is currently no national data collection program that describes all deaths that occur in law enforcement custody and, therefore, no comprehensive information that can support a study of how these data can inform policy and practice. Such information is critical to support strategies to reduce deaths that occur in law enforcement custody; to promote public safety through fair and appropriate responses to reported crimes, calls for service, and police-community encounters; and to build trust with communities.