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Deaths in Custody Statistical Tables
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Deaths in Custody Statistical TablesMethodologyBJS Deaths in Custody Reporting Program (DCRP) – Local jail inmate death data Jails were instructed to report the death of any inmate in their custody, even if the inmate was held for other jurisdictions, such as the state department of corrections, another state or county, or the Federal government. Jails were also instructed to include the death of any inmate sent outside the jail facility for medical, mental health or substance abuse treatment services or for work-release programs. Deaths that occurred while an inmate was in transit to or from the jail facility were included. Deaths of jail inmates who were released on temporary furloughs or who had escaped the jail facility were excluded. From the beginning of the collection in 2000, as agent for BJS, the Governments Division of the U.S. Census Bureau collected both the quarterly death records and the yearend collection of population and admissions data from all jail jurisdictions nationwide. If a final determination of cause of death could not be made at the time of reporting, respondents were asked to indicate that autopsy reports were pending. Jurisdictions with incomplete records were contacted again over the following 12 months to obtain final cause of death data. In each year (2000 through 2006), at least 99% of the more than 3,000 jail jurisdictions nationwide responded to the collection. For local jail survey forms, see Deaths in Custody survey questionnaires.
BJS began collecting inmate death records from state prison authorities nationwide in 2001 to implement the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (PL 106-297). State departments of correction were asked to submit a quarterly report of all deaths at the end of each calendar quarter. States were also asked to submit a quarterly summary count of deaths (form NPS-4) and an individual report of each inmate death (form NPS-4A). If a final determination of cause of death could not be made at the time of reporting, respondents were asked to indicate that autopsy reports were pending. Jurisdictions with incomplete records were contacted again over the following 12 months to obtain final cause of death data. State prisons were instructed to report the deaths of any inmate in their custody, even if the inmate was held for other jurisdictions, such as a county jail, another state, or the Federal government. State prisoner death counts include the death of any inmate held in a private prison facility under contract to the state’s department of correction. Deaths of inmates in private facilities were counted in the state that had jurisdiction over the inmate, not the state where the private facility was located. State prisons were also instructed to include the death of any inmate sent outside the prison facility for medical, mental health or substance abuse treatment services or for work-release programs. Deaths that occurred while a state prisoner was in transit to or from the prison were included. Deaths of state prisoners who were released on temporary furloughs or who had escaped the prison facility were excluded. All execution deaths were excluded from the collection because capital punishment cases are already tracked under the National Prisoners Statistics program. This data collection was conducted by BJS staff during 2001 and 2002 and by data collection staff of Governments Division of the U.S. Census Bureau for BJS since 2003. In each year (2001 through 2006), all 50 state departments of correction responded to the collection. The District of Columbia submitted data for its prison population until transferring all of their custody operations to the Federal Bureau of Prisons during 2001. Federal prisons are not covered by PL 106-297 and these tables do not include mortality data on Federal prisoners. For state prisoner survey forms, see Deaths in Custody survey questionnaires.
BJS began collecting juvenile death records from state juvenile correctional administrators in 2002 to implement the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (PL 106-297). The respondents were asked to submit a quarterly report (NPS-5) which listed a summary count of all deaths at the end of each calendar quarter. Respondents also submitted an NPS-5A addendum form for a death in a juvenile facility containing detailed information about both the deceased juvenile and the death event. If a final determination of cause of death could not be made at the time of reporting, respondents were asked to indicate that the autopsy report was pending. Jurisdictions with incomplete records were contacted again over the following 12 months to obtain final cause of death data. The NPS-5/5A questionnaires were developed after consultation with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), members of the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA), and selected practitioners in the juvenile justice field. Since its inception in 2002, BJS staff has conducted this data collection. In 2002 and 2003, respondents from all 50 states and the District of Columbia submitted data to the collection. For 2004 and 2005, 48 states and the District of Columbia participated in the collection. Only state-run juvenile correctional facilities are covered in these reports. County, municipal, private and non-profit juvenile detention facilities are not included. State juvenile correctional administrators were instructed to report the death of any youth in their custody, even if the youth was held for other jurisdictions, such as a county jail, another state, or the Federal government. State juvenile correctional administrators were also instructed to include the death of any youth sent outside the facility for medical, mental health or substance abuse treatment services or for other programs. If a youth died while in transit to or from the facility, the death was included in the collection. For state juvenile residential facility survey forms, see Deaths in Custody survey questionnaires.
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