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The Arrest-Related Deaths (ARD) program is a national accounting of persons who die either during the process of arrest or while in the custody of state or local law enforcement personnel. For the purposes of the ARD program, an "arrest-related" death is one that occurs anytime a person's freedom to leave is restricted by state or local law enforcement personnel. Arrest-related deaths can occur before law enforcement personnel establish physical custody or before a formal arrest process is initiated. The ARD collection also includes the deaths of individuals who die while attempting to elude police during the course of apprehension (e.g., police chases, and standoffs).
Deaths reportable to the ARD program include those caused by any use of force by state or local law enforcement personnel, as well as those not directly related to actions of law enforcement, such as deaths attributed to suicide, intoxication, accidental injury, and illness or natural causes. With the exception of innocent bystanders, hostages, and law enforcement personnel, all persons who die in the presence of state or local law enforcement, regardless of manner of death, are subject for inclusion in the ARD program.
Data Collections & Surveys | |
Publications & Products | |
Arrest-Related Deaths, 2003-2009 - Statistical Tables
Provides data on the circumstances of deaths that occur during, or shortly after, state or local law enforcement officers engage in an arrest or restraint process. |
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Press Release | PDF (1M) | ASCII file (23K) | Spreadsheet (Zip format 44K)
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Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, 2007 (Update)
Contains a series of data tables describing recent trends in mortality in state prison, local jails, and during the process of arrest by state and local law enforcement officers. |
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State Prison Deaths, 2001-2007 (HTML) | Local Jail Deaths, 2000-2007 (HTML) | State and Local Law Enforcement Arrest-related Deaths, 2003-2006 - Statistical Tables (HTML)
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Deaths in Custody: Local Jail Deaths, 2000-2007- Statistical tables
This web page provides basic data on the number and characteristics of deaths reported each year by approximately 3,000 local jails nationwide, and provide both national data on the number and rate of jail deaths, by cause and over time, as well as specific data on the nation's 50 largest jail jurisdictions. |
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Deaths in Custody: State Prison Deaths, 2001-2007 - Statistical Tables
These tables provide national data on both the number and rate of prison deaths, by cause and over time, as well as specific data on each state's prisons. Tables include basic data on the number and characteristics of deaths reported each year by all 50 state prison systems. |
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Terms & Definitions | |
Arrest |
The act of detaining in legal custody. An "arrest" is the deprivation of a person's
liberty by legal authority in response to a criminal charge. |
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Cause of death |
A description of the specific factors leading to the termination of the biological
functions that sustain life |
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Homicide |
Killing of a human being by another human being. The ARD program gathers data on
homicides that occur during an arrest process regardless of whether the homicide was
attributed to law enforcement personnel or a civilian. Homicides by law enforcement
personnel were included in the ARD collection because they resulted from a direct use
of force by law enforcement officers. However, not all homicides by law enforcement
personnel involve shooting deaths. Other types of homicides by law enforcement
officers included deaths attributed to asphyxia during restraint, injuries sustained
during an altercation, and the use of technologies such as, chemical sprays and
conducted energy devices. |
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Manner of death |
An explanation of how a person died, typically illustrated by a one word description
of the intentions and circumstances that led to the stated medical cause of death.
Essentially, the manner of death is the way in which death was caused and is typically
listed as natural, accident, homicide, suicide, or undetermined. |
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Natural |
Deaths attributed to natural agents such as illness or internal malfunctions of the
body. The majority of arrest-related deaths recorded as "natural" were due to heart
complications. Other natural deaths included complications from long term illnesses. |
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