OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement
and the community.
This program furthers DOJ’s mission and the Attorney General’s priorities by assisting states to comply with the Death in Custody Reporting Act Program (DCRA Program).
The DCRA Program is BJA’s data collection program including oversight of state compliance with the DCRA requirements, data analysis, training, and technical assistance.
More information about the DCRA Program can be found here.
DCRA’s requirements provide an opportunity to improve understanding of why deaths occur in custody and develop solutions to prevent avoidable deaths.
Knowledge of the circumstances leading to death in custody and the number of fatalities is crucial to developing policies and program changes that could reduce these deaths.
Statutory Authority:
Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103, 136 Stat,.
49,132).