Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Forensic medicine in South Africa: Associations between medical practice and legal case progression and outcomes in female murders
PLoS ONE, Volume 6, No. 12, Article e28620, Year 2011
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Background: Forensic medicine has been largely by-passed by the tide of health systems research and evidence based medicine. Murder victims form a central part of forensic medical examiners' case load, and women murdered by intimate partners are an important subgroup, representing the most severe form and consequence of intimate partner violence. Our aim was to describe the epidemiology of female murder in South Africa (by intimate and non-intimate partners); and to describe and compare autopsy findings, forensic medical management of cases and the contribution of these to legal outcomes. Methods: We did a retrospective national study in a proportionate random sample of 25 medico-legal laboratories to identify all homicides in 1999 of women aged 14 years and over. Data were abstracted from the mortuary file and autopsy report, and collected from a police interview. Findings: In 21.5% of cases the perpetrator was convicted. Factors associated with a conviction for the female murders included having a history of intimate partner violence 1.18 (95%CI: 0.16-2.20), weapon recovered 1.36 (95% CI:0.58-2.15) and a detective visiting the crime scene 1.57 (95% CI:0.14-3.00). None of the forensic medical activities increased the likelihood of a conviction. Conclusion: The findings raise important questions about the role of forensic medicine in these cases. © 2011 Abrahams et al.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3237462/bin/pone.0028620.s001.docx
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3237462/bin/pone.0028620.s002.docx
Authors & Co-Authors
Abrahams, Naeemah
South Africa, Tygerberg
South African Medical Research Council
Jewkes, R. K.
South Africa
South African Medical Research Council
Martin, Lorna Jean
South Africa, Cape Town
Faculty of Health Sciences
Mathews, S.
South Africa, Tygerberg
South African Medical Research Council
Statistics
Citations: 18
Authors: 4
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0028620
e-ISSN:
19326203
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Violence And Injury
Study Design
Cohort Study
Study Locations
South Africa
Participants Gender
Female