Death in Custody: How America Ignores the Truth and What We Can Do about It

The US significantly undercounts the number of people who die in law enforcement custody each year. This is a public health emergency, but the scope of this issue is ignored by the systems that are supposed to be tracking these fatalities. Researchers and policy makers need reliable data to address this problem. Mitchell and Aronson outline a practical, achievable system for accurately recording and investigating these deaths, and propose the development of national standards for investigating deaths in custody and independent regional and federal custodial death review panels.

Format: Hardback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2023
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

The United States significantly underestimates the number of people who die in law enforcement custody each year, a public health emergency that is intentionally ignored by the very systems responsible for tracking these fatalities. The lack of reliable data on deaths in custody hinders efforts to address this human rights problem effectively. In their book, Death in Custody, Roger A. Mitchell Jr., MD, and Jay D. Aronson, PhD, share the stories of individuals who have died in custody and chronicle the efforts of activists and journalists to uncover the true scope of these deaths.

Throughout history, journalists and independent groups have provided more reliable information on deaths in custody than official state reports. Mitchell and Aronson demonstrate how government at all levels has intentionally avoided reporting death in custody data.

To address this issue, Mitchell and Aronson propose a practical and achievable system for accurately recording and investigating these deaths. They advocate for adding a simple checkbox to the US Standard Death Certificate to create an objective way of recording whether a death occurred in custody. They also suggest the development of national standards for investigating deaths in custody and the establishment of independent regional and federal custodial death review panels.

By implementing these measures, the United States can take a significant step towards addressing the public health emergency of deaths in custody and ensuring that the rights of individuals are protected. It is essential to recognize the importance of reliable data and independent oversight in addressing this issue and to work towards a system that upholds the values of transparency, accountability, and human dignity.

Weight: 622g
Dimension: 160 x 239 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781421447087