Complex suicides by self-incineration

Among the few cases of suicidal self-incineration primary or secondary complex suicides are a rarity. Accordingly the number of reports on this subject in the forensic literature is small. In a retrospective analysis of the Freiburg and Berlin autopsy material, four cases were found within an observation period of 11 years. These are described together with seven other cases reported in the literature. Altogether most of these suicides are primary combinations, especially with falls from a height. Other combinations include hanging or the infliction of stabs, cuts or gunshot injuries. The sex and age distribution is similar to that found for suicide by self-incineration alone.     

Unusual suicides with chain saws

Two cases of suicide with bandsaws, undertaken by workers in carpenters' workshops are reported and discussed. Their choice of this method was based on the fact that they knew how dangerous such machines were. Both cases were watched by witnesses, who could not intervene due to the speed of the events. It was possible to exclude accident or homicide.     

A Bi-level Framework for Understanding Prisoner Victimization

Objectives

To present and test an opportunity perspective on prison inmate victimization.

Methods

Stratified random samples of inmates (n ₁ = 5,640) were selected from Ohio and Kentucky prisons (n ₂ = 46). Bi-level models of the prevalence of assaults and thefts were estimated. Predictors included indicators of inmate routines/guardianship, target antagonism, and target vulnerability at the individual level, and several indicators of guardianship at the facility level.

Results

Assaults were more common among inmates with certain routines and characteristics that might have increased their odds of being victimized (e.g., less time spent in recreation; committed violence themselves during incarceration), and higher levels of assaults characterized environments with lower levels of guardianship (e.g., architectural designs with more “blind spots”, larger populations, and less rigorous rule enforcement as perceived by correctional officers). Similar findings emerged for thefts in addition to stronger individual level effects in prisons with weaker guardianship (e.g., ethnic group differences in the risk of theft were greater in facilities with larger populations and less rigorous rule enforcement).

Conclusions

The study produced evidence favoring a bi-level opportunity perspective of inmate victimization, with some unique differences in the relevance of particular concepts between prison and non-prison contexts.     

Female suicides in Diyarbakir, Turkey

The aim of this study was to investigate the methods used and demographic data of women suicides by examining postmortem investigation and autopsy reports from the Branch of the Council of Forensic Medicine in Diyarbakir Province, Turkey, between 1996 and 2001. Fifty-eight percent (174/302) of suicides were females and 42% (128/302) were males. The suicide rates were similarly higher for females than for males (2.6 and 1.8 per 10,000 population, respectively). Over half of female suicides (56.3%) occurred in those under 20 years of age. The most common suicide method for women was hanging (32.2%), and for men was firearms (51.7%), but for women younger than 20 years the most frequent method was firearms. Among the female suicides, five (2.8%) were known to have attempted suicide at least once in the past. Twenty-nine women (16.7%) were documented to have any psychiatric illness. None of the women had a history of drug or alcohol abuse. A suicide note was found in only six cases (3.4%). The predominant suicide motive was family problems (in 32% or 56/174). The higher rate of suicide in females than in males, and the absolute female predominance in suicides in Diyarbakir, Turkey, are in contrast to most of the medical literature and statistical information about suicide rates by country, in which suicide rates are usually higher among males.     

战俘的遣返问题探究

战俘有关待遇的规定正在得到进一步的完善,大量的公约对战俘的遣返问题更是加以强调。至1929年《有关战俘待遇问题的公约》,处理战俘遣返问题的规则已逐步发展起来。但二战的爆发以及20世纪40年代人权概念的传播也带来了新的问题。国际红十字会1949年制定的日内瓦第三公约虽与1929年公约极为相近,但其新规定更能适应新的需求。     

Recent trends in suicides utilizing helium

Retrospective review of cases of suicide involving helium inhalation was undertaken at Forensic Science South Australia over a 25-year period from 1985 to 2009. No cases of helium-related suicides were identified in the first 15 years of the study, with one case between 2000 and 2004 and eight cases between 2005 and 2009. Australian data were also reviewed from 2001 to 2009 that showed 30 cases between January 2001 and June 2005, compared to 79 cases between July 2005 and December 2009, an increase of 163%. A review of Swedish data between 2001 and 2009 showed no cases between January 2001 and June 2005, compared to seven cases between July 2005 and December 2009. Thus, all three areas showed recent and striking increases in cases of suicide involving helium inhalation. Given the availability of helium and the recent promotion of this method of suicide, it is quite possible that this may represent a newly emerging trend in suicide deaths.     

Assessing the Need for Gender-Specific Explanations of Prisoner Victimization

The literature on differences in the carceral experiences of women and men underscores the relevance of both background (pre-prison) and confinement factors for shaping inmates’ experiences during incarceration, but with a heavier emphasis on linkages between background factors and problems women face during confinement. Here, we apply these ideas to an understanding of sex differences in factors influencing victimization risk during incarceration. Sex-specific models of physical assaults and property thefts were estimated for random samples of inmates from 46 prisons in Ohio and Kentucky. Background factors were more important than confinement factors for influencing assaults on women whereas both sets of factors were relevant for men. Both background and confinement factors were important for predicting theft victimizations for both groups although the magnitude of several effects varied by an inmate’s sex. Findings suggest that effective crime prevention strategies in prison may vary across facilities for women and for men.     

Electing the Electorate: The Problem of Prisoner Disenfranchisement

The issue of prisoner disenfranchisement is examined in the light of the recent decision of the European Court of Human Rights in Hirst v UK . It is argued that the arguments in favour of denying prisoners the right to vote lack plausibility. Prisoner disenfranchisement cannot be coherently defended on the justifications of punishment or on the grounds of risk. On the contrary, matters of principle and policy considerations favour the re-enfranchisement of convicted prisoners.     

论看守所留所服刑界犯脱逃的防范

近年来,看守所留所服刑罪犯脱逃成为影响看守所安全的突出问题。防范留所服刑罪犯脱逃,要在分析其脱逃原因的基础上,有针对性地采取重点预防与一般预防,动态预防与静态预防,预防与打击相结合等措施,综合治理留所服刑罪犯的脱逃。