Arrest-related Deaths: Do Denominators Make a Difference?

• In Event: Data Sources on Police use of Force and Deaths That Occur in Police Custody

Abstract

The Bureau of Justice Statistics implemented the Arrest-related Deaths program redesign pilot study in 2015 to assess multiple methodologies for identifying and collecting information about arrest-related deaths. The national narrative on police-involved deaths has focused primarily on overall counts and racial disproportionality: how many people die while in police custody and the over representation of minorities. This paper extends this discussion by considering more complex demographic combinations of race/ethnicity, gender and age by various denominators including general population, police contacts, arrests, and felony arrests.

Authors

• G. Lance Couzens, RTI International

• Duren Banks, RTI International

• Michael Planty, RTI International