Lozano Jason G, Molina D Kimberley
From the *University of Texas Health Science Center; †Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office, San Antonio, TX.
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2015 Dec;36(4):285-9. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000183.
Although deaths in custody are an expected occurrence, they are often subjected to increased scrutiny and raise many questions as to circumstances surrounding the death as well as the cause and manner of death. It is usually the responsibility of the medical examiner to answer these questions. Relatively few studies have reviewed the causes and manners of death that occur while in custody and even fewer specific to jail populations. This study reviews the cause and manner of death of persons in custody in an urban county from 1985 to 2010. A retrospective review of death investigations, including death certificates and autopsy reports, was conducted on all deaths that occurred in custody during the period. The age and sex of the decedent as well as the place of death were also recorded. Most deaths were attributed to natural disease followed by suicide, and most deaths occurred either in the emergency department or in the hospital. Regarding the cause of death, cardiovascular disease followed by suicide by hanging accounted for the most number of deaths (25% and 20% of all deaths, respectively). It is recommended that all deaths in custody be reported to the medical examiner and that a thorough death investigation be conducted to properly define and document the cause and manner of death. This is particularly important given the increased scrutiny to which deaths in custody are often subjected.
虽然在押人员死亡是意料之中的事，但这类死亡往往会受到更多审查，引发诸多关于死亡相关情况以及死亡原因和方式的问题。通常由法医负责解答这些问题。相对而言，很少有研究审视在押期间发生的死亡原因和方式，针对监狱服刑人员的此类研究更是少之又少。本研究回顾了1985年至2010年期间一个城市县在押人员的死亡原因和方式。对该时期内所有在押期间发生的死亡进行了回顾性审查，包括死亡证明和尸检报告。还记录了死者的年龄、性别以及死亡地点。多数死亡归因于自然疾病，其次是自杀，且多数死亡发生在急诊科或医院。关于死亡原因，心血管疾病之后缢死自杀导致的死亡人数最多（分别占所有死亡人数的25%和20%）。建议将所有在押人员死亡情况报告给法医，并进行全面的死亡调查，以恰当界定和记录死亡原因和方式。鉴于在押人员死亡往往受到更多审查，这一点尤为重要。
