Strengthening the U.S. Medicolegal Death Investigation System: Lessons from Deaths in Custody (2025)
Chapter: Appendix C: The Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (DCRA 2013; P.L. 113-242)
Appendix C
The Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (DCRA 2013; P.L. 113-242)
The Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) 2013 states that, in general, 120 days after the enactment of the Act, “for each fiscal year… in which a State receives funds for a program” under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, “the State shall report to the Attorney General, on a quarterly basis and pursuant to guidelines established by the Attorney General, information regarding the death of any person who is detained, under arrest, or is in the process of being arrested, is en route to be incarcerated, or is incarcerated at a municipal or county jail, State prison, State-run boot camp prison, boot camp prison that is contracted out by the State, any State or local contract facility, or other local or State correctional facility (including any juvenile facility).”1
The Act requires that the reports “contain information that, at a minimum, includes
- the name, gender, race, ethnicity, and age of the deceased;
- the date, time, and location of death;
- the law enforcement agency that detained, arrested, or was in the process of arresting the deceased; and
- a brief description of the circumstances surrounding the death.”
In addition, “for each fiscal year (beginning after the date that is 120 days after the date of the enactment of […the] Act), the head of each
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1 All quoted material in this appendix references the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013. Pub. L. No. 113-242. 128 Stat. 2860, 2014.
Federal law enforcement agency shall submit to the Attorney General a report (in such form and manner specified by the Attorney General) that contains information regarding the death of any person who is—
- detained, under arrest, or is in the process of being arrested by any officer of such Federal law enforcement agency (or by any State or local law enforcement officer while participating in and for purposes of a Federal law enforcement operation, task force, or any other Federal law enforcement capacity carried out by such Federal law enforcement agency); or
- en route to be incarcerated or detained, or is incarcerated or detained at—
- any facility (including any immigration or juvenile facility) pursuant to a contract with such Federal law enforcement agency;
- any State or local government facility used by such Federal law enforcement agency; or
- any Federal correctional facility or Federal pre-trial detention facility located within the United States.”
DCRA also required that the Attorney General shall carry out a study to
- determine means by which such information can be used to reduce the number of such deaths; and
- examine the relationship, if any, between the number of such deaths and the actions of management of such jails, prisons, and other specified facilities relating to such deaths.22
DCRA stipulated that “[n]ot later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall prepare and submit to Congress a report that contains the findings of the study.”
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2 For a discussion of the reports produced to fulfil the DCRA 2013 requirements, see Chapter 3.
