Lawmaker Calls Justice Department’s Undercount of Prison Deaths ‘Shocking Gap’

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 20, 2021. Evelyn Hockstein-Pool/Getty Images

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) has called the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s failure to count nearly 1,000 prison deaths a “shocking gap.”

The report (pdf) on a 10-month bi-partisan investigation was revealed on Sept. 20 at a Senate hearing. The investigation focused on whether the DOJ has complied with the Death in Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) of 2013.