Death in Custody

"Death in Custody is a radical shift in how to analyze violence, misconduct, and dysfunction in the criminal justice system in the modern era.Aronson and Mitchell offer recommendations for attempting to sort out this crisis, but this book would be important even if it didn't. Death in Custody makes the case that white supremacy, economic inequality, and exploitation are among the causes of this festering problem."

"Death in Custody provides readers with the brutal history on which the U.S. criminal legal system was built.These unnecessary deaths will continue to occur until there is a uniform way of making our judicial system transparent and accountable."

"In Death in Custody, Roger A. Mitchell Jr. and Jay D. Aronson argue that deaths in law enforcement custody amount to a public health emergency. Their work ties in high-profile examples and shows how journalists have long done the work of tracking in-custody deaths.Mitchell and Aronson argue that collecting accurate data is the first step toward addressing this crisis."

"Dr. Roger Mitchell has an extensive history conducting in-custody death investigations. I cannot think of anyone more qualified, committed, or passionate in exposing these often-invisible deaths that leave so many grieving families with unanswered questions. Death in Custody by Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Jay Aronson is an exhaustive and critical examination that is long overdue."

"This timely, important, and well-researched book shines a much-needed light on the epidemic of preventable—and hidden—deaths in our nation's prisons and jails. It's impossible to read it without demanding that policy makers address the lack of data, the lack of oversight, and the lack of humanity in these dark places."

"America's prisons have become death houses for so many people who have tragically lost their lives as a result of neglect, abuse, and mismanagement. This critically important work shines a powerful light on a public health emergency created by our nation's addiction to incarceration and extreme punishment. An urgent, compelling, and necessary call to action we should all embrace."