The Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA; Pub. L. No. 113-242) requires every state and territory, and each federal law enforcement agency, to collect data on deaths that occur while someone is being detained or arrested by law enforcement, or is in transit to or in the custody of a jail or correctional facility, and to submit that data to the U.S. attorney general.
State Administering Agencies (SAAs) (the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation) are responsible for collecting data on a quarterly basis from state and local entities including law enforcement agencies, local jails, correctional institutions, medical examiners, and other state agencies. SAAs are responsible for compiling and aggregating the data for submission.
Each quarter, DCI, with input from all Wyoming law enforcement and corrections, must either (1) report all deaths in custody that occurred in their jurisdictions during the corresponding quarter and provide basic information about the circumstances of those deaths or (2) affirm that no deaths in custody occurred in their jurisdictions during the reporting period. The associated form fulfills either circumstance.
For each death in custody, states must report the following information:
•The decedent’s name, date of birth, gender, race, and ethnicity
•The date, time, and location of the death
•The law enforcement or correctional agency that detained, arrested, or was in the process of arresting the deceased; and
•A brief description of the circumstances surrounding the death.
