Last month, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in Partnership with the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) and the National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics (SEARCH), published a brief on the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA). Congress originally passed the DCRA in 2000 in an effort to collect data on deaths involving law enforcement. In 2013, Congress reauthorized the law and expanded its requirements. However, as State Administering Agencies continue to work with their state and local partners to collect data, they frequently encounter questions about the differences between the DCRA, Mortality Correctional Institutions and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Use of Force reporting. This brief provides a historical background of the DCRA, explains reporting conditions, describes the overlapping reporting requirements of state and local agencies, and outlines the federal government’s previous and current data analysis efforts.
To learn more about the DCRA, access A Primer for Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) and Related Program Data Requirements.