How inaccuracies plague government data on in-custody deaths

Think Out Loud

How inaccuracies plague government data on in-custody deaths

Clean

Published on Aug 14, 2025, 1:14:04 PM
Total time: 00:15:20

Episode Description

Under the Death in Custody Reporting Act, states who receive certain federal funds are required to report any death of someone who is detained, under arrest, in custody or incarcerated to the attorney general. The data is available to the public, but new reporting from The Marshall Project shows that this data is plagued with inaccuracies. Anna Flagg is a data reporter and helped cover this story. She joins us to share more on what is wrong with the data and some of the inaccuracies the publication found.

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