UCLA LAW
Behind Bars
Data Project
Over two million people are held in American carceral facilities, facing an outsized risk of death. But we know relatively little about who is in greatest danger and why. The UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project works to increase transparency and accountability within the US carceral system through data compilation and research. Our aim is to deepen public knowledge and understanding of all forms of deaths in custody by providing free, accessible data, support for researchers, and our own analyses.
5,222
annual deaths in all U.S. prisons
409annual deaths in all federal prisons
4,813annual deaths in all state prisons
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Crude Mortality Rate per 10,000
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Our project has built a centralized, public, online data repository documenting deaths in custody nationwide. These deaths have never been reported in one place and, in some cases, have never been reported at all. Our data includes general death data for all American prison systems from 2015-2021, detailed, individual-level data for most prison systems (43 of 51) from 2019-2021, and some data for 133 jail systems post 2019.
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Blog
Go to blogAugust 15th, 2024
The UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project: Announcing the Launch of Our New Interactive Website Tracking Deaths in Custody Nationwide
Today, the UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project is pleased to announce the launch of our new website, which reflects our shift away from an exclusive focus on COVID to our current focus on all-cause carceral mortality.
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supporters include:
supporters include: