# What the Family Notification of Death, Injury, or Illness in Custody Act Does

Right now, when someone dies or gets seriously hurt while in police custody, jail, or prison, their family might not find out for days—or might learn about it by accident. This bill tries to fix that by requiring prisons, jails, and police departments to notify families quickly and compassionately when someone in their custody dies, gets seriously ill, or is seriously injured.

The bill creates a federal standard that says detention agencies must contact a person's emergency contact (like a family member) within 12 hours if they die, and within 48 hours if they become seriously ill or injured. When someone is first taken into custody, the agency has to ask them for emergency contact information—names, phone numbers, and email addresses of people they want notified. People can update this information at least once a year. The notification has to include important details like the time of death, the cause (if known), or specifics about the injury or illness. The bill also requires that notifications be done compassionately, ideally in person or by video call, and preferably by someone trained in how to deliver bad news, like a counselor or chaplain.

Beyond just notifying families, the bill requires agencies to handle the person's belongings and remains respectfully, give families at least a week to decide what to do with them, and share autopsy results within 24 hours of completion. The bill also says families should get meaningful chances to visit seriously ill or injured loved ones and have their medical wishes (like do-not-resuscitate orders) respected. For federal detention agencies, these rules take effect within a year. For state, local, and tribal agencies, the federal government will provide model policies and training to help them implement similar procedures, though they're not legally required to do so.