Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comments Requested, 4172-4173 [E6-891]

Agencies

• Department of Justice
• Office of Justice Programs
• Justice Programs Office

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 25, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4172-4173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-891]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comments Requested

ACTION: 60-Day Notice of Information Collection Under Review: Deaths in 
Custody--series of collections from local jails, State prisons and 
juvenile.

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    The Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs, has 
submitted the following information collection request to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information 
collection is published to obtain comments from the public and affected 
agencies. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for ``sixty 
days'' until March 27, 2006 This process is conducted in accordance 
with 5 CFR 1320.10.
    If you have comments, especially on the estimated public burden or 
associated response time, suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed 
information collection instrument with instructions or additional 
information, please contact: Lawrence Greenfeld, Director, Bureau of 
Justice Statistics, 810 Seventh St., NW., Washington, DC, 20531.
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of the following 
four points:

--Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
--Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
--Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and
--Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.

    Overview of this information collection:
    (1) Type of Information Collection: Extension of a currently 
approved collection.
    (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Deaths In Custody Reporting 
Program
    (3) Agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of the 
Department of Justice sponsoring the collection: Forms: NPS-4 
(Quarterly Summary of Inmate Deaths in State Prison), NPS-4A (State 
Prison Inmate Death Report), NPS-5 (Quarterly Summary of Deaths in 
State Juvenile Residential Facilities), NPS-5A (State Juvenile 
Residential Death Report), CJ-9 (Quarterly Report on Inmates Under Jail 
Jurisdiction), CJ-9A (Annual Summary on Inmates Under Jail 
Jurisdiction), CJ-10 (Quarterly Report on Inmates in Private and Multi-
Jurisdiction Jails), CJ-10A (Annual Summary on Inmates in Private and 
Multi-Jurisdiction Jails), CJ-11 (Quarterly Summary of Deaths in Law 
Enforcement Custody) and CJ-11A (Law Enforcement Custodial Death 
Report). Corrections Statistics Unit, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 
Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Primary: Local jail administrators, State 
prison administrators, and State juvenile correctional administrators. 
Others: State-level central reporters from each State's criminal 
justice Statistical Analysis Center (SAC). One reporter from each of 
the 3,083 local jail jurisdictions in the United States, one reporter 
from each of the 50 State prison systems, and one reporter from the 
juvenile correctional authority in each of the 50 States and the 
District of Columbia is asked to provide information for the following 
categories: (a) During each reporting quarter, the number of deaths of 
persons in their custody; (b) As of January 1 and December 31 of each 
reporting year, the number of male and female inmates in their custody 
(local jails only); (c) Between January 1 and December 31 of each 
reporting year, the number of male and female inmates admitted to their 
custody (local jails only); (d) The name, date of birth, gender, race/
ethnic origin, and date of death for each inmate who died in their 
custody during each reporting quarter; (e) The admission date, legal 
status, and current offenses for each inmate who died in their custody 
during the reporting quarter; (f) Whether or not an autopsy was 
conducted by a medical examiner or coroner to determine the cause of 
each inmate death that took place in their custody during the reporting 
quarter; (g)

[[Page 4173]]

The location and cause of each inmate death that took place in their 
custody during the reporting quarter; (h) In cases where the cause of 
death was illness/natural causes (including AIDS), whether or not the 
cause of each inmate death was the result of a pre-existing medical 
condition, and whether or not the inmate had been receiving treatment 
for that medical condition; (i) In cases where the cause of death was 
accidental injury, suicide, or homicide, when and where the incident 
causing the inmate's death took place.
    To measure the law enforcement deaths BJS asks State-level central 
reporters (one reporter from each of the 50 States and the District of 
Columbia) from each State's criminal justice Statistical Analysis 
Center (SAC) to provide information for the following categories: (a) 
During each reporting quarter, the number of deaths of persons in the 
custody of State and local law enforcement during the process of 
arrest; (b) The deceased's name, date of birth, gender, race/Hispanic 
origin, and legal status at time of death; (c) The date and location of 
death, the manner and medical cause of death, and whether an autopsy 
was performed; (d) The law enforcement agency involved, and the 
offenses for which the inmate was being charged; (e) In cases of death 
prior to booking, whether death was the result of a pre-existing 
medical condition or injuries sustained at the crime or arrest scene, 
and whether the officer(s) involved used any weapons to cause the 
death; (f) In cases of death prior to booking, whether the deceased was 
under restraint in the time leading up to the death, and whether their 
behavior at the arrest scene included threats or the use of any force 
against the arresting officers; (g) In cases of death after booking, 
the time and date of the deceased's entry into the law enforcement 
booking facility where the death occurred, and the medical and mental 
condition of the deceased at the time of entry; (h) In cases of 
accidental, homicide or suicide deaths after booking, who and what were 
the means of death (e.g., suicide by means of hanging).
    The Bureau of Justice Statistics uses this information to publish 
statistics on deaths in custody. These reports will be made available 
to the U.S. Congress, Executive Office of the President, practitioners, 
researchers, students, the media, and others interested in criminal 
justice and data.
    (5) An estimated 3,235 total respondents will submit an estimated 
16,455 responses each year to this collection program. The amount of 
time needed for an average respondent to complete each form is broken 
down as follows:
    Local jails/quarterly (forms CJ-9 and CJ-10)--3,083 respondents (At 
least 90% of jails nationwide have zero deaths in a given calendar 
quarter; these respondents will need an average of 5 minutes to 
respond. For those jurisdictions with a death to report, the average 
response time will be 30 minutes per death.)
    Local jails/annual (forms CJ-9A and CJ-10A)--3,083 respondents 
(average response time = 15 minutes)
    State prisons/quarterly (form NPS-4)--50 respondents (average 
response time = 5 minutes)
    State prisons addendum/quarterly (form NPS-4A)--50 respondents 
(average response time = 30 minutes per reported death).
    State juvenile corrections/quarterly (form NPS-5)--51 respondents 
(average response time = 5 minutes).
    State juvenile corrections addendum/quarterly (NPS-5A)--51 
respondents (average response time = 30 minutes per reported death).
    State and local law enforcement/quarterly (CJ-11)--51 respondents 
(average response time = 5 minutes).
    State and local law enforcement addendum/quarterly (CJ-11A)--51 
respondents (average response time = 60 minutes per reported death).
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: The estimated total public burden hours associated 
with this collection is 4,609 hours.
    If additional information is required contact: Brenda E. Dyer, 
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Patrick Henry 
Building, Suite 1600, 601 D Street, NW., Washington, DC 20530.

    Dated: January 20, 2006.
Brenda E. Dyer,
Department Clearance Officer, Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. E6-891 Filed 1-24-06; 8:45 am]
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