Federal Deaths in Custody and During Arrest, 2024 – Statistical Tables

• NCJ Number: 311869
• Author(s): Sean E. Goodison, PhD, BJS Statistician; Charlotte Lopez-Jauffret, PhD, BJS Statistician
• Date Published: October 2026
• Publication Series: Federal Deaths in Custody and During Arrest
• Publication Type: Publication

Description

This report is the seventh in a series in response to the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) of 2013 (P.L. 113–242) that requires federal law enforcement agencies to report information about the death of any person who dies while detained, under arrest, being arrested, or in the custody of federal law enforcement officers. It describes decedent, incident, and facility characteristics for deaths in federal custody and during arrest by federal law enforcement agencies during fiscal year 2024.

Highlights

In FY 2024:

• Homicides accounted for the largest portion (39%) of arrest-related deaths, followed by suicides (38%) and accidents (22%).
• In arrest-related deaths, 94% of decedents were male, 65% were white, and 51% were ages 25 to 44.
• In 53% of arrest-related deaths, law enforcement officers were serving a warrant when they made initial contact with the decedent.
• A violent offense was the most serious offense allegedly committed by decedents in 49% of arrest-related deaths.