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Indicator Gauge Icon Legend

Legend Colors

Red is bad, green is good, blue is not statistically different/neutral.

Compared to Distribution

an indicator guage with the arrow in the green the value is in the best half of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the yellow the value is in the 2nd worst quarter of communities.

an indicator guage with the arrow in the red the value is in the worst quarter of communities.

Compared to Target

green circle with white tick inside it meets target; red circle with white cross inside it does not meet target.

Compared to a Single Value

green diamond with downward arrow inside it lower than the comparison value; red diamond with downward arrow inside it higher than the comparison value; blue diamond with downward arrow inside it not statistically different from comparison value.

Trend

green square outline with upward trending arrow inside it green square outline with downward trending arrow inside it non-significant change over time; green square with upward trending arrow inside it green square with downward trending arrow inside it significant change over time; blue square with equals sign no change over time.

Compared to Prior Value

green triangle with upward trending arrow inside it higher than the previous measurement period; green triangle with downward trending arrow inside it lower than the previous measurement period; blue equals sign no statistically different change  from previous measurement period.

green chart bars Significantly better than the overall value

red chart bars Significantly worse than the overall value

light blue chart bars No significant difference with the overall value

gray chart bars No data on significance available

More information about the gauges and icons

Deaths in Custody

Measurement Period: 2022
This indicator shows deaths in custody, per 10,000 population 18+, as reported by law enforcement. A death in custody is defined as a person who died while in physical custody or physical restrain of law enforcement officers, while being transported to another location, while in a jail facility, or while being sentenced. Manner of deaths include: suicide, natural, accidental, homicide (by other inmate or law enforcement staff), or unknown.

Why is this important?

Data collected on deaths in custody has consistently shown racial disparities, particularly in Black/African American male populations.
 
Poor conditions in jail, systemic racism, and the rise of mental health issues have led to preventable fatalities for individuals in custody. Not only does this affect inmates, but it can have profound effects on the families and communities of inmates. Use of excessive force by law enforcement has lead to distrust in the communities they serve. In addition, deaths while in custody, whether by homicide, suicide, or accidents, can have a financial impact for taxpayers and mental and financial hardship for families of inmates affected; wrongful death suits can cost jails and, in return, taxpayers millions of dollars. 
 
Several reforms have been show to reduce deaths in jail. These include: more comprehensive suicide prevention policies, training jail staff on de-escalation techniques, and requiring jails to perform incident review after a death or near death. 
More...
0.4
per 10,000 population
Source: California Department of Justice
Measurement period: 2022
Maintained by: Conduent Healthy Communities Institute
Last update: February 2024
Filter(s) for this location: State: California
Compared to See the Legend
Technical note: Rates may be unavailable for certain time periods and geographies due to unstable or suppressed values as determined by the data source.
More details:
State and local law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities report information on deaths that occur in custody or during the process of arrest in compliance with Section 12525 of the California Government Code. Contributors include: California law enforcement agencies, county probation departments, state hospitals, and state correctional facilities

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Data Source

Filed under: Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Social Determinants of Health, Adults