Family Notification of Death, Injury, or Illness in Custody Act of 2025

This bill makes sure families are told quickly and kindly when someone dies or becomes seriously ill or injured while in custody. It sets clear steps for federal jails and prisons to notify a person’s next of kin or emergency contact, and offers model rules for states, territories, Tribes, and local jails to follow so families get timely, compassionate information. Within one year of the law taking effect, the Attorney General must put these policies in place for federal detention agencies and share best‑practice templates nationwide.

• Who is affected
  • People held in federal custody and their families. State, territory, Tribal, and local detention agencies get model policies to use. Any facility that holds people for the Justice Department under contract must follow these or similar rules .
• What changes
  • Death in custody: notify the family within 12 hours, between 6 a.m. and midnight, and share the time and cause of death and whether there is an investigation.
  • Serious illness or injury: notify as soon as possible and explain what happened, whether the person is unconscious, what care is being given, and how to reach the medical provider.
  • Serious conditions that must trigger notice include life‑threatening emergencies, hospital admission, an attempted suicide, unconsciousness or incapacity, or a terminal diagnosis.
  • Notices should be delivered by trained staff, by phone or in person, and followed by a condolence letter; families should get a point of contact at the facility.
  • Agencies gather emergency contact details and offer a standard form; people can update contacts, note a medical proxy or advance directive, and say if they want a faith leader involved; agencies must document notice attempts and, when someone is very ill or injured, give family a chance to visit and talk with medical staff .
  • Each agency must publish a written notification plan online and include it in intake materials; the Justice Department will publish policies, provide training, and appoint an official to take and investigate complaints .
• When
  • The Justice Department’s policies must be in place within one year of enactment.
• Limits
  • Giving emergency contact info is optional; there are no penalties for not providing it or for mistakes. Families don’t take on new legal or financial duties under this law, and it doesn’t create a right to sue to enforce it.