In new inquiry, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock urge Attorney General to update Federal laws aimed at tracking and preventing deaths in Federal & local custody
In 2022, Sen. Ossoff led a 10-month bipartisan investigation that uncovered nearly 1,000 uncounted deaths in state & local custody
Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan probe also found the U.S. Department of Justice was failing to implement “Death in Custody Reporting Act” to track data & help prevent deaths
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is launching a new inquiry to prevent deaths of incarcerated people in Georgia and nationwide.
Today, Sens. Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock launched an inquiry with Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to strengthen policies aimed at tracking and collecting data about deaths in Federal, state, and local custody in order to better understand and mitigate risks inmates face while incarcerated.
As part of their new inquiry, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock requested the Attorney General take steps to update reporting practices under the Death in Custody Reporting Act, a law requiring the DOJ to collect data from states and localities about the deaths of inmates in their custody to ensure transparency and help the Department identify potential violations of civil or human rights.
In 2022, Sen. Ossoff led a 10-month bipartisan investigation that uncovered the DOJ failed to count nearly 1,000 deaths in state and local custody in 2021 alone, despite those deaths being publicly reported elsewhere.
“In prior outreach, we have urged the Department of Justice to investigate ongoing disturbing reports of deaths in custody in Georgia’s Clayton County and Fulton County Jails. Tragically, deaths have continued—in just the first six months of 2024, at least six individuals have died in custody in Clayton County Jail. Another three have died in custody in the Fulton County Jail this year, following the death of 10 individuals in custody in Fulton County in 2023,” Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock wrote. “These alarming numbers underscore the necessity of stronger reporting under the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) to help identify the causes of these deaths and possible interventions to prevent future tragedies.”
“While DOJ has taken steps to improve compliance with DCRA’s reporting requirements, there is still more to be done to ensure that every death in custody is reported fully and accurately—and that the government has the information necessary to identify and address any possible causes of death within its control,” the Senators continued.
In September 2022, a U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that 70% of records on deaths in custody that states submitted in fiscal year (FY) 2021 were missing at least one category of information DCRA required DOJ to collect.
Earlier this year, an investigative report from NPR found some deaths classified as “natural” may trace back to preventable factors, such as inadequate medical treatment, neglect, or poor conditions.
However, according to DOJ documents, reporting forms do not call for information about medical treatment or other factors that could shed more light on the causes of “natural” deaths, making it harder to discern the scope of this problem from DCRA data.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to strengthen public safety and improve oversight of Federal agencies.
In May, Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan Federal Prison Oversight Act passed the U.S. House to establish new, independent oversight of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
In April, Sens. Ossoff and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced The Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act to crack down on the smuggling of contraband cellphones into Federal prisons by upgrading the charge of smuggling of contraband cellphone into a Federal prison from a misdemeanor offense to a felony.
Earlier this year, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) into how the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) determines and reports the cause of death for people who have died in Federal custody.
In February, Sen. Ossoff pressed BOP Director Colette Peters in a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on the steps she’s taking to crack down on the contraband flowing through BOP facilities that threaten public safety, including at U.S. Penitentiary Atlanta.
In December 2022, Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan Prison Camera Reform Act was signed into law, requiring the Federal Bureau of Prisons to upgrade outdated and broken security camera systems, ensuring all facilities have the coverage necessary to protect the safety of incarcerated people and staff.
Click here to read Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock’s inquiry to the DOJ.
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