Medicolegal Death Investigation System Workshop Summary (2003) / Chapter Skim
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7. Medicolegal Death Investigation and the Criminal Justice System
7. Medicolegal Death Investigation and the Criminal Justice System
Pages 29-37
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From page 29... ...
The key goal is to provide objective evidence of cause, timing, and manner of death for adjudication by the criminal justice system. The value of medical expertise is apparent in the screening process.
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From page 30... ...
Confronted with the cleath of a 30-year-old woman, who dies apparently of a heart attack, a lay coroner would most likely not do an autopsy, but a medical examiner would, given its medical implausibility. Similarly, many lay coroners do not autopsy burned bodies, but a medical examiner would investigate the possibility of homicide masked as an accident.
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From page 31... ...
Accuracy must prevail as to the manner of death, the cause of death, and the time of death. Because of California's legal requirements for a quick preliminary hearing, San Diego County requires its medical exa~niner's office to perform the autopsy within 24 hours of finding the body.
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From page 32... ...
When asked why they concluded as they did, the jurors responded that "the medical examiners were the objective fact finders in the case. We relied upon them." The Defense's Perspective Barry Scheck Tilers is a crisis in this country with respect to the quality of death investigations.
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From page 33... ...
Placement in academe will help to ensure sound science arid ensure that the latest technological and scientific clevelopments are incorporated into criminal forensic investigation. The Role of the Crime Laboratory in Medicolegal Death Investigations Susan Narvesor' The crime laboratory provides assistance in two key parts of nedicolegal death investigations: personal identification ant!
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From page 34... ...
Careful handling of specimens is important in guarding against contamination. Tile utility of the crime laboratory in death investigations can be improved by promoting effective partnerships with medical examiner and coroner offices; by encouraging discussion of the range, value, availability, and use of crime laboratory capabilities; and by supporting the development of procedures that maximize the contribution of the crime laboratory's expertise.
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From page 35... ...
There is a crucial need for investigators at the scene to collect specimens properly and preserve them for transport to one of those eight certified forensic entomologists. DISCUSSION Infrastructure Funding Several participants reiterated the need for more federal funding for infrastructure (~Kurt Nolte, Marc ella Fierro, Randly Hanzlick, Victor Weecln)
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From page 36... ...
. Professionals involved in death investigations need to be more active in trying to understand the problem of wrongful convictions and in supporting organized efforts to expedite disciplinary actions incompetent members of the profession and those engaged in fraudulent practices; in several cases, years elapsed before successful action was taken, although many were aware of, but failec!
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From page 37... ...
For example, New Mexico recently hired an epidemiologist to work on a bioterrorism mortality surveillance project. The Maryland medical exa~niner's office has a staff epidemiologist to study deaths in firefighters and an epidemiologist in the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, is developing a military mortality database.
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