Death certification of "suicide by cop" is controversial among some medical examiners and coroners. We present five such deaths that were certified as suicides and discuss the medico-legal issues involved with these certifications. To certify such a death as a suicide, certain criteria should be met. Suicide by cop is a circumstance that involves competing intentional acts that may result in di...

Despite a great deal of information on various types of offenders, there is only limited longitudinal research on the offending patterns, typologies, and recidivism of different types of homicide perpetrators. A random sample of 336 homicide offenders who were released between the years 1990 and 2000 from the New Jersey Department of Corrections were identified and followed for a minimum of 5 y...

To better understand risk factors and populations at risk of childhood fatalities, a review of all records of childhood deaths (≤19 years) between 2000 and 2010 from New Mexico's statewide medical examiner was conducted. Annually, 313-383 childhood deaths were investigated (3820 total). Males and American Indians were overrepresented (62% and 20.4% of deaths, respectively). The most common mann...

?Effraenatam?, the brain-child of Pope Sixtus V [7], was released as a papal bull in the year 1588. Papal bulls are formal declarations issued by the pope of the Roman Catholic Church [8] and are named for their authenticating leaden seals (bullas). This particular document became famous for its official forbiddance of all procured abortions. ?Effraenatam,? meaning ?without restraint,? is often...

Although alcohol use has been established as a risk factor for injuries associated with motor vehicle crashes, the role of alcohol for other unintentional and intentional injuries is less defined. A review of 102,401 deaths investigated by North Carolina medical examiners in the period 1973-1983 characterized the temporal patterns of ethyl alcohol in unintentional injury fatalities, suicides, h...

Priority health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of mortality, morbidity, and social problems among youth and adults often are established during youth, extend into adulthood, and are interrelated. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors six categories of priority health risk behaviors among youth and youth adults: behaviors that contribute to unintentio...

Exodus 21:22-23 (KJV) reads as follows: "If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life." For the past thirty years our nation has ardently debated abo...

BACKGROUND Knowledge of the epidemiology of injuries in children is essential for the planning, implementation and evaluation of preventive measures but recent epidemiological information on injuries in children both in general and by age-group in Scotland is scarce. This study examines the recent pattern of childhood mortality from injury by age-group in Scotland and considers its implications...

Homicide is a major cause of pediatric mortality. National law enforcement data were analyzed to characterize and differentiate neonaticide, infanticide, filicide, and overall child homicide. Results include the following: Neonaticides often involved parents or unidentified perpetrators and occurred proportionately more in rural areas than did other types of child homicide. Infanticide appeared...