Death investigation in Canada

A survey of death investigation systems in Canada was conducted by questionnaire and included questions on the type of system used (coroner or medical examiner), budget, method of appointment and qualifications of coroners and medical examiners, responsible department of government, training requirements, laboratory facilities, and the utilization of investigators and pathologists by each jurisdiction. Of the population of Canada 81.5% reside in coroner jurisdictions, the primary death investigator in 81% of the population is a licensed physician. The majority of jurisdictions either require or provide training in death investigation. All death investigation systems are under the respective provincial or territorial department of Justice or Attorney General with the chief coroner or chief medical examiner appointed by their respective provincial cabinet. The qualifications of the chief coroner vary with jurisdiction, while in 75% of medical examiner jurisdictions the chief medical examiner must be a pathologist. On a per capita basis medical examiner systems are less expensive to operate than coroner systems.

[Forensic medicine in Dar-es-Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania]

The authors had opportunities to visit and see the present state of forensic medicine in Dar-es-Salaam, a capital city of United Republic of Tanzania. In this city, Department of Histopathology and Morbid Anatomy in Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences is in charge of education and practice of forensic medicine. All bodies of unusual death, about 3,000 cases per year, are brought to the university mortuary and examined by pathologists. An order of forensic autopsy from the Tanzanian police is submitted to the department with details of the case, i.e. circumstances of death, witnesses, weapons, etc. In each case, a pathologist signs out a death certificate and issues an autopsy report which is standardized throughout the country. Embalming after autopsy is essential in a tropical country. Tanzania in particular, to prevent both putrefaction of the body and dispersion of pathogens during its transportation. Preventive measures against biohazards from human immunodeficiency virus-infected bodies are considered in the autopsy room and laboratory. Although Tanzania is one of the developing countries in the world, the forensic medicine in the capital city is rendering great services in the promotion of public health.

A content analysis of textbooks on criminal investigation: an evaluative comparison to empirical research findings on the investigative process and the role of forensic evidence

A content analysis of textbooks on criminal investigation was carried out to determine the degree to which their coverage corresponded to empirical findings on the investigative process and the role of forensic evidence. The results showed that the texts overemphasize forensic evidence relative to its actual use. They underemphasize the role of patrol officers, detective post-arrest activities and the importance of interpersonal communication in investigations. Moreover, the texts are virtually silent on a number of key points such as detective evidence collection activities and how detectives use and give meaning to physical evidence. An analysis of material in newer texts, those available after research findings became widely known, showed little changed in emphasis from older volumes. The findings are discussed in relation to training needs for those in the justice system who collect, use and make practical and policy decisions about forensic evidence and investigative outcomes.

Forensic medicine in Israel

We discuss the Israeli medicolegal system, which is rooted in remnants of British jurisprudence. Forensic services for the entire country and the occupied territories (Judea and Samaria), and now the Palestinian Autonomy (Gaza Strip and Jericho), are supplied by one central institute located in Tel Aviv. That organization, the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine, is a department of the Ministry of Health and has academic affiliation with the University of Tel Aviv. About 2,000 necroscopic examinations are performed annually, and the types of cases encountered in the forensic practices in Israel are noted. The academic and research activities of the Institute's staff are described, with emphasis on collaboration with overseas forensic scientists. The modern history of the country is reflected in the chronicle of the evolution of its forensic medicine.

The lay death investigator: in search of a common ground

This report provides information on the status of 582 lay death investigators, representing 76 of 133 major death investigation jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada to whom surveys were sent. Information was collected with respect to numbers employed, duties performed, educational and experiential backgrounds, training opportunities, and perceived requirements for future investigators. Duties most common among investigators are scene investigation (82%), notification of next of kin (67%), gathering information leading to identifications (73%), handling personal property (73%), and court testimony (69%). Less commonly performed (< 10%) are photography, conducting telephone investigations only (exclusive of scene visits), and providing autopsy support. The investigative workforce is relatively stable, with 30% having been on the job > 10 years and 47% having been employed > 6 years. Employment backgrounds from which past investigators have been drawn are medical-scientific (36%) and law enforcement (26%). On-the-job training was reported as the most common training opportunity available. Educational level of entry-level investigative staff is high school or GED (25%), associate of arts degree (37%), and bachelor's degree (33%). Suggestions are offered as to future educational and professional standards for the field.

Death registration: history, methods, and legal issues

This article includes a brief discussion of the evolution death registration as it changed from records of church burial ceremonies to the recording of vital events by government in defined registration areas; today's death registration system in the United States; classification and coding procedures; limitations of data derived from death registration; educational materials; legal issues involving death certificates; and the re-engineering of the death registration process.

The Impact of Child Sexual Abuse on the Children of Survivors: Implications for Forensic Nursing

1. Assuming that dysfunctional familial patterns arise from child sexual abuse experiences and that they are learned by the victims' children, there is a potential risk conferred to the children of becoming victims of child sexual abuse. 2. Certain physical manifestations, psychosocial behaviors, and relational patterns typify the personae of adults who experienced sexual abuse as children. 3. Roles of the nurse that might be used to meet the needs of this risk group are varied and target the victims, their children, and the community at large.

Current research and case work activities of criminalistics in Japan

The current research and case work activities of criminalistics in Japan are described. The selected forensic science disciplines are forensic osteology including specialized technology of skull identification, forensic serology, forensic DNA analysis of poisonous materials, forensic hair and fiber analysis, trace evidence analysis, document analysis, forensic psychology mainly concerned with the so-called lie-detector, forensic image analysis, voice print analysis, fire and explosion analysis, forensic engineering, firearm and toolmark analysis. The current activity of the Training Institute of Forensic Science at the National Research Institute of Police Science is also briefly described with special regard to the education and training course of forensic DNA typing analysis. Instruments for analytical and methodological use are listed according to the availability in evidence sample analyses.

Physical aspects of alleged sexual assaults

The medical evidence, detailing the physical findings, is just one component in the investigation of serious sexual assault and it is not for the doctor alone to determine the veracity of an allegation. This paper has described some of the factors which limit the quality and value of the medical evidence. Potential ways to rectify the problems are: 1. A requirement that all doctors who examine complainants of sexual assault should have undergone basic theoretical and practical training and be required to continue their education by attendance at update meetings and participating in peer review groups. 2. Large-scale, well-designed research projects which relate the physical findings to the outcome of the case. 3. Routine colposcopic assessments with photo-documentation of the genital examinations of all complainants of serious sexual offences. 4. Pretrial debate amongst medical experts.

Postgraduate forensic science education in Turkey

Legal medicine in Turkey, has an educational background that goes back to 1839 and the first autopsy in modern terms was performed in 1841. In the early days, it was common practice for those involved in this work to extend their investigative knowledge into areas not directly concerned with medical matters. However forensic medical investigations cannot be entrusted in the hands of single investigators, but should rather be dealt with by cooperative groups of experts nowadays. This need was the major force for the establishment of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences by a special article of the law (section 2547) as a training and research center in 1982. The Institute being the first and only institution giving master's and doctorate degrees in Forensic Sciences, has 3 major departments: 1) Medical Sciences Department, 2) Basic Sciences Department and 3) Social Sciences Department. Graduates of various fields ranging from medical doctors specialized in any field, biologists, chemists to lawyers, district attorneys, psychologists and other related fields are composing the multidisciplinary structure of the institute. The main research fields of the Institute are: population genetics, paternity investigation, child abuse, and identification of human remains.

Violence in clinical forensic medicine

OBJECTIVE

to investigate the levels of physical and verbal violence experienced in the preceding year by doctors working in clinical forensic medicine.

DESIGN AND SUBJECTS

anonymised questionnaire sent to all full members of the Association of Police Surgeons.

RESULTS

517 eligible questionnaires were returned; 18.2 per cent of respondents had experienced physical violence, a total of 150 incidents. Of those incidents 'warning signs' of violence had been present in only 25 per cent. A total of 54 working days were lost. Injuries included a fractured wrist and corneal scarring. Of the respondents, 65.5 per cent had experienced verbal violence (of which the most common type was obscenity); 11.8 per cent had received training in dealing with verbal violence and 10.4 per cent in dealing with physical violence; 88 per cent believed that training on how to deal with violence should be part of police surgeon/forensic medicine training.

CONCLUSION

verbal and physical violence are common in clinical forensic medicine. Training in dealing with these issues should be introduced.