YourVoice.Now Summary
Transparency & AccountabilityCivil LibertiesFederal jails would have to tell your family within 12 hours if you die in custody.
Transparency & Accountability
Justice Department jails and prisons would have to call a prisoner's chosen contact within 12 hours of a death. The notice would give the time of death, the cause if known, and whether there is an investigation.
The contact would hear within 48 hours, and before surgery if that would not slow care. Serious cases include a hospital stay or a fatal illness. They also include being too sick to agree to care.
Families would be told within 12 hours that an autopsy is planned and why. They could ask for a copy of the report once it is done.
Some private, state, local, and tribal jails hold people for the Justice Department. They would have to follow the same notice rules to get or renew their contract.
The Attorney General would name an ombudsman (a complaints officer). This person would look into complaints about missed or poor notices. Denied visits would count too.
Civil Liberties
Contact details given to the jail could be used only for these notices. Details used in breaking that rule could not be used in any court.
Jails would have to give families a real chance to visit a prisoner who is very sick or hurt. Families could also talk with the doctors and nurses giving care.
More about this bill
If someone you love dies in federal custody, the jail or prison would have to tell you within 12 hours. For a serious illness or injury, you would hear within 48 hours. Calls could only come between 6 a.m. and midnight. The rule would cover jails and prisons run by the Justice Department, such as federal prisons and U.S. Marshals holding sites. Private and local jails that hold federal prisoners under contract would have to follow it too. The department would have one year to set it up. When someone is taken into custody, staff would ask who to call in an emergency. Giving names would be optional, and no one could be pressured or fined for saying no. People could change their contacts at any time and update them at least once a year. A death notice would include the time of death and the cause, if known. It would also say whether the death is under investigation. Families would hear within 12 hours if an autopsy is planned and could get a copy of the report. They would get at least 7 days to decide about the body and belongings. Families of a seriously ill person would get a chance to talk with doctors and to visit when possible. The contact details could be used only for these notices. Courts could not accept details used in breaking that rule as evidence. A new Justice Department ombudsman (a complaints officer) would look into missed or poor notices. States, tribes, and local police would get sample rules and training, but they would not have to use them. Being named as a contact would not make you owe any money or take on any legal duty.
Congressional Summary
Family Notification of Death, Injury, or Illness in Custody Act of 2025 This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop policies and procedures for notifying next-of-kin or other emergency contacts in the event of the death, or serious illness or serious injury, of an individual in custody. The bill requires DOJ to implement the policies and procedures at its detention agencies. Further, the bill requires DOJ to distribute model policies and procedures to state, territorial, tribal, and local detention agencies.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-04-08
- Date Added
- 2026-10-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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