Citation

Hsieh ML, Neuilly MA. J. Interpers. Violence 2019; 34(5): 1063-1073.

Affiliation

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA m.neuilly@wsu.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260516647006

PMID

27147273

Abstract

This study seeks to establish whether medico-legal practitioners differ in their autopsy conclusions within and across medico-legal institutions. Data include 459 violent deaths (homicides, suicides, and accidents) autopsy reports written by more than 20 death certifiers from four medico-legal institutions in two countries (France and the United States). Multinomial models show that compared with accidental deaths, weapon use and decedents' characteristics both influence a homicide verdict, but not a suicide one. In addition, French practitioners are more likely than Americans to reach a conclusion of homicide or suicide compared with accident, and homicides are more likely to be certified by male practitioners.

© The Author(s) 2016.

Language: en