Wikipedia

Death in custody

A death in custody is a death of a person in the custody of the police or other authorities or while in prison. In the 21st century, death in custody remains a controversial subject, with the authorities often being accused of abuse, neglect and cover-ups of the causes of these deaths.[1][2]

By country

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Algeria

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Argentina

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Australia

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In Australia, deaths in custody automatically trigger an inquest.[3]

Bangladesh

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At least 32 people have died in "Operation Clean Heart" by the government of Bangladesh.

Burma

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Chad

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China

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Congo

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Cuba

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Egypt

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Germany

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India

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In the financial year 2021–22, the National Human Rights Commission reported 2152 deaths in judicial custody and 155 deaths in police custody.[4]

Indonesia

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Iran

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Ireland

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Italy

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Jamaica

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"At least 650 people have been killed by police officers in Jamaica since 1999. Many of these have been blatantly unlawful killings, yet not one officer has been convicted since then." Piers Bannister, Amnesty International's Jamaica researcher.

Japan

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Laos

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Libya

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Malaysia

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Mexico

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Morocco

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The Netherlands

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On the 27th of June 2015, Mitch Henriquez was arrested at the Malieveld in The Hague after he claimed to have a weapon. During the arrest he suffocated due to the chokehold of two police officers. They were put on trial and served sentences for manslaughter.[6] After his death, there were several weeks of riots throughout the Netherlands.

North Korea

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Norway

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About 40 people have died in police custody over a period of 20 years following 1990.[7] Additionally there's been 45 suicides in custody over a 10-year period from 2008.[8]

Pakistan

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Russia

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Saudi Arabia

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Somalia

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South Africa

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South Africa has an unusually high level of deaths in custody. For example, in April to June 1997, there were 56 deaths in custody.[9]

Sudan

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Syria

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Turkey

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One of the most widely reported cases in Turkey was the death of teacher Gökhan Açıkkollu in police custody in August 2016, during the state of emergency declared after the failed coup attempt. His death drew attention from human rights organizations, political figures, and international bodies including the UN Human Rights Committee, which later found violations of the right to life and the prohibition of torture in his case.[10] Similarly, in 2018, teacher Halime Gülsu - who suffered from lupus - died in prison after she was denied access to essential medication, a death that human rights organizations attribute to medical neglect.[11]

UAE

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United Kingdom

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United States

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Definition of custody

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The term "in custody" has been debated in both California v. Beheler[12] (in regards to what constitutes custody in the requirement to read Miranda rights) but also in other federal court cases related to Miranda law and definition of custody.[13] Although Miranda law has roughly defined custody as "a "formal arrest or restraint on freedom of movement" of the degree associated with a formal arrest."[14] colloquial language may be less restrictive in the use of custody and is thus sometimes difficult to distinguish from the process of arrest. In addition to collecting data on those who have died in custody, the Bureau of Justice Statistics also tracks all deaths related to arrest. This aids in collecting data from the fringes of custody or attempts to arrest an individual.[15]

Causes of death

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The causes for death in police custody may range from suspected homicide by members of the police, killings by other inmates, death due to psychological or physical abuse, capital punishment, to suicide, accidental death, or natural causes.[16][17] The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics collects data regarding both the cause of death, as well as medical and criminal records of those that die in police custody (restricted to those in federal prison and local jails).[16]

Estimates

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The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 17,358 individuals in custody died during the period from 2007 to 2010.[18] Other publications focus on the rate per 100,000. US jails report deaths that total a mortality rate of 128, and prisons at 264 per 100,000.[19] There are differences in methodology used to obtain these statistics, as some jurisdictions include deaths during attempted arrests, while others do not.

Other research has focused on specific states, such as Maryland and the rate of death by identity (gender, race, age).[20] Based on some findings, African-American males appear to be over-represented as victims of sudden custody deaths. Further research with larger sample sizes is necessary.[20]

Watchdog organizations

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The Marshall Project collects and produces reports on police killings as well as maintaining a curated list of links to articles and publications related to death in police custody in the United States.[21]

Selected persons who have died in custody

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Foreign custody by American agents (police, military, etc.)

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International custody law
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There are numerous laws and international treaties regarding treatment of foreigners, especially during wartime, of which the Geneva Convention is the most widely recognized and internationally ratified. It contains provisions that classify and define both prisoners of war (as well as civilians and the wounded or infirm) and the manner in which they are to be treated.[25] These include but are not limited to: murder, mutilation, hostage taking, and outrages upon personal dignity.[26] These ratified documents are the base of US international custody law and can be seen to be misapplied in some of the proceeding cases.

Examples of persons who have died in custody
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Vietnam

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Yemen

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Zimbabwe

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Fruehwald, Stefan; Frottier, Patrick (2002-11-12). "Death behind bars". CMAJ. 167 (10). Cmaj.ca: 1127–1128. PMC 134293. PMID 12427704. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  2. ↑ Stefan Fruehwald; Patrick Frottier. "Death behind bars" (PDF). Cmaj.ca. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  3. ↑ Davidson, Helen; Allam, Lorena; Wahlquist, Calla; Evershed, Nick (30 August 2018). "'People will continue to die': coroners' 'deaths in custody' reports ignored". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  4. ↑ "Over 2,150 cases of deaths in judicial custody in 2021-22: Govt". India Today. Press Trust of India. 23 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Iran: Institutional discrimination against women and girls enabled human rights violations and crimes against humanity in the context of recent protests, UN Fact-Finding Mission says | OHCHR".
  6. ↑ OM vervolgt twee agenten voor dood Mitch Henriquez, NU.nl, 19 september 2016
  7. ↑ "Politiet siktet etter dødsfall på glattcelle". Dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  8. ↑ "45 selvmord i norske fengsler på ti år". www.vg.no (in Norwegian). 25 November 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  9. ↑ "Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation". Csvr.org.za. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
  10. ↑ "UN Human Rights Committee condemns Turkey over death of teacher Gökhan Açıkkollu in custody". Justice Square. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "The Life of Halime Gülsu – The Heavenly Teacher Murdered in Prison". Broken Chalk. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  12. ↑ "California v. Beheler". Find Law. March 14, 2017.
  13. ↑ Holcomb, Jayme (February 20, 2016). "When does handcuffing constitute custody for purposes of Miranda". FBI.
  14. ↑ "California v. Beheler, 463 U.S. 1121 (1983) at 1125". Justia US Supreme Court Center. July 6, 1983. Archived from the original on May 4, 2026. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Arrest related deaths". Bureau of Justice Statistics. March 14, 2017.
  16. 1 2 "Data Collection: Deaths In Custody Reporting Program (DCRP)". Bureau of Justice Statistics. March 14, 2017.
  17. ↑ Ross, Darrell (2006). Sudden Deaths in Custody. Totowa, N.J.: Humana Press. pp. 15–138. ISBN 978-1-58829-475-3.
  18. ↑ Zheng, Zhen (2016). "Assessing Inmate Cause of Death" (PDF). Bureau of Justice Statistics.
  19. ↑ Heide, Steffen (2016). "Deaths in Police Custody". Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine. 57: 109–114. doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2016.01.026. PMID 29801944. S2CID 44076434.
  20. 1 2 Southall, Pamela (2008). "Police custody deaths in Maryland, USA: An examination of 45 cases". Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine. 15 (4): 227–230. doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2007.10.005. PMID 18423355.
  21. ↑ "Death in Police Custody". The Marshall Project. February 12, 2017.
  22. ↑ "CRRJ Provides First Full Account of Notorious 1947 Georgia Jailhouse Killing" Archived 2018-10-20 at the Wayback Machine, Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, 2016
  23. ↑ CBS/Associated Press (AP), "3 Calif. jail guards found guilty in death of mentally ill inmate", CBS News, 01 June 2017; accessed 20 October 2018
  24. ↑ "Disgraced financier Epstein found dead in cell". BBC News. 2019-08-10. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  25. ↑ Kim, Jonathan (July 2016). "Geneva Conventions". Cornell University Law School.
  26. ↑ "Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949". International Committee of the Red Cross. March 15, 2017.
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