H.R. 10909: Deaths in Custody Reporting Reform Act

This bill would expand and standardize how deaths that happen while someone is in custody are reported and reviewed. It would move oversight of death-in-custody reporting to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and require more detailed information to be collected and made public.

What the bill would require

• More detailed reporting: The government would have to collect additional information about deaths in custody, beyond what is currently required.
• Public database: BJS would maintain a publicly available database of death-in-custody reports.
• Updated death certificate process: Death certificates would include a checkbox to indicate whether the person died while in custody.
• Immigration detention reporting: Specific reporting rules would apply to deaths in facilities run by or used for immigration detention, including ICE and CBP-related facilities.
• Independent review and study: The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) would conduct a study, and a review panel would help examine the reporting system and related issues.
• Public access to reports: The reports would be made public rather than kept only for internal government use.

Definitions and scope

The bill defines several terms used in the reporting system, including:

• Immigration detention facility
• Open-source information
• Police lock-up
• State

These definitions are meant to clarify which facilities and records are covered by the law.

Funding

The bill would authorize $6 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2037 to carry out the reporting, study, and review requirements in the covered sections.

Relevant Companies

None found