A Matter of Life and Death: The Importance of the Death in Custody Reporting Act
“A Matter of Life and Death: The Importance of the Death in Custody Reporting Act” builds on earlier advocacy from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and POGO focused on the full implementation of the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA). This report also builds on the Biden administration’s Executive Order 14074, which highlights the importance of collecting complete and accurate information on deaths in custody — the first step in reducing preventable deaths in United States jails, state prisons, and federal prisons.
This report makes specific recommendations about how the Department of Justice can fully realize the spirit of the current DCRA statute with the administrative tools currently available. We hope our colleagues across the country and our nation’s policy decisionmakers benefit from the report as we work toward an America as good as its ideals, which includes respect for the human rights of all individuals who are in government custody.