This interim report is published as part of the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) Study.
This report is part of the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) Study, which is designed to generate significant advances in the knowledge and understanding of deaths in custody and to develop recommendations that support efforts to prevent and reduce such deaths. Law enforcement–related deaths most often involve officer shootings, while suicide and intoxications are leading causes of jail deaths. The DCRA Study is conducted pursuant to the requirements set forth in the 2014 reauthorization of the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA 2013), which requires the Attorney General to conduct a study and submit a report to Congress. All DCRA Study activities are organized by the three main contexts in which deaths in custody occur: law enforcement, jails, and prisons. Each context presents distinct prevalence rates; common causes and manners of death; and situational factors that demand different practices, policies, and solutions to reduce these deaths. For example, law enforcement officers engage members of the public in an open environment, whereas jails and prisons are highly regulated and closed custody settings. The prevalence of arrest-related deaths (ARDs), deaths occurring in jail and prison settings, and the policies and practices associated with reducing these deaths are explored in more detail in separate sections. The scope of this effort is a mixed-methods design that includes a national-level review and case studies at multiple sites. The report describes the national-level review, which consisted of an environmental scan and secondary analyses of existing deaths in custody data.