Homicides in East Berlin from 1980 to 1989. Part I: victimology and phenomenology

At the Institute of Legal Medicine of the Humboldt-University in Berlin 8,580 autopsies were carried out in the period of analysis from 1980 to 1989 - including 139 homicides (= 1.6 %). The first part of this study deals with the victim-related analysis. Furthermore, the criminologically relevant aspects of the phenomenology of crime are described. Apart from the low frequency, the mainly short latency period and the low rate of homicides with removal of the victim are noteworthy.     

Homicides in East Berlin from 1980 to 1989. Part II: results of investigations and legal consequences

The second part of the study on homicides in East Berlin from 1980 to 1989 describes the solving of crimes, the usual features of offenders and the legal assessment according to East German law. Of the 139 homicides 126 crimes (= 90.6%) could be solved. Most of the offenders had a low social background and often belonged to the victim's circle of friends or family. Situational homicides and elimination crimes were the most common crimes. In the legal assessment sentences for murder were predominant.     

Suicides by fall from height in Geneva,Switzerland, from 1991 to 2000

Suicides due to fall from height in Geneva from 1991 to 2000 were reviewed. Scene investigations, autopsy findings, psychiatric histories, and toxicology results were examined. There were 197 of these suicides, an incidence of five cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year or one fourth of all suicides in Geneva per year. Autopsies were performed on 33%, the rest had external examinations. Of the victims, 56% were female and 44% were male. The age distribution peaked at 20-29 years in men and 60-69 years in women. Most of the victims jumped from their home, the range of 2 to 7 stories being the most frequent height. Major injury sites, in decreasing frequency, were the thorax, abdomen, skull, vertebrae, pelvis and limbs. Psychiatric illness was reported in 38% of the cases. Toxicological analysis was performed in 25% of the cases and showed that the main drugs present were benzodiazepines, cannabis and antidepressant.     

Suicides by jumping from Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul

Suicide methods may differ widely. One of these methods is jumping from a height. The people who choose a high bridge for jumping may be considered as a special group. In this study, we evaluated the demographic data, mortality rates and postmortem findings of individuals who jumped from the 64m high Bosphorus Bridge of Istanbul. For this purpose, we reviewed registration forms of two police centers on both sides of the bridge, court archives, and postmortem examination reports of the deceased for a period of 10 years between 1986 and 1995.During this period, 65 people had jumped from the Bosphorus Bridge of Istanbul. The mortality rate was 96.9%, as two individuals survived their suicide attempt. The male/female ratio for attempts was 15:1 (61 males, four females) in this study in contrast to the male/female ratio of 1.6:1 for all suicidal cases in Turkey. The average age of subjects was 29.2 (median: 26, range: 16-54). The frequency was highest in the 15-24 age group with a rate of 38.4%. People who jumped from the bridge were younger than other reported cases of suicide. For all methods of suicide in Turkey 53.5% of subjects are under the age of 35. However, in our study, 75.8% of individuals who committed suicide from the Bosphorus Bridge were under the age of 35. Unmarried people accounted for 56% of the individuals whose marital status was known. 20.8% of the individuals whose employment status was known were unemployed. 59% of the cases whose education was known were high school graduates. The highest rate of suicide by jumping was in 1990, and occurred during the fall and winter months, primarily between the hours of 24.00 and 06.00. The Bosphorus Bridge is forbidden to pedestrians. Arrival method to the bridge was by a taxicab in 53.3% of the cases. 91% of the recovered bodies had been discovered during the first 2 days of jumping. Positions on impact with the water were estimated according to external and internal injuries. Among the cases in which the position of impact could be assessed by external and internal injury patterns, combined lateral and horizontal positions were most common.     

Black homicide in a midsize southern city, 1980–1989

This study examined homicides from 1980–1989 in a midsize southern city (Chattanooga, Tennessee). More specifically, the study examined the homicide rate as it related to age, gender, and race of both the victim and offender, as well as the type of weapon used.     

Suicides in the young people of Geneva, Switzerland, from 1993 to 2002

Suicides in Geneva in those less than 25 years old, from 1993 to 2002, were reviewed. Scenes investigations, autopsy findings, toxicology results, and psychiatric history (when available) were examined. There were 65 cases. The average annual suicide rate was 11/100,000. Seventy-seven percent were male, and 23% were female. The youngest was 12 years old and most of the victims were 18 years old and over (89%). For men, the use of firearms was the most common method (38%), followed by fall from height (16%) and drowning (10%). For women, fall from height was the most frequent (40%), followed by firearms and medication overdoses (20% each), hanging (13%), and drowning (7%). Toxicological analysis was performed in 41% of the cases and showed that alcohol was present in 26% and other drugs in 67% of these cases. The most common drugs present were benzodiazepines, cannabis, and cocaine.     

从“自杀训练”看日本教育体制

2011年10月11日,当时13岁的日本滋贺县大津市立中学二年级男生因为遭到同学凌辱跳楼自杀,此事引起日本社会巨大震动。2012年7月6日,大津市市长越直美终于作出重新对事件进行调查的决定,但这只能说是亡羊补牢之策。但自杀案件暴露出日本教育制度上存在的严重漏洞。 学生自杀再引轰动     

Shooting Through Clothing in Firearm Suicides

Abstract: There is a longstanding empirical rule that people who commit suicide rarely shoot through their clothing, but rather put it aside to expose the nude skin. Signs of shots through clothing have always been considered suspicious, raising presumptions of the presence of an abettor. Our report, based on a retrospective study of fatal suicidal firearm injuries from the years 1980 to 2007, points out that suicide victims only rarely remove clothing from the site of the future entry wound. The report covered 43 cases with fatal gunshot wounds in the area of the thorax, with only four persons (9%) removing the clothing present in the area of the subsequent self‐inflicted wound. Defects present on the clothing of a victim cannot, therefore, be understood as an absolute criterion for disproving the possibility of suicide, and nor do they necessarily indicate an unfortunate accident or homicide. If, however, the suicide victim removes the clothing from the area of the future wound, then this is almost always an indication of suicide.     

Recent Firing Range Suicides in South Australia

Abstract: Two cases are reported from South Australia, where deaths occurred that were due to single self‐inflicted gunshot wounds to the head in individuals who were visiting indoor firearm ranges. Case 1: A 54‐year‐old man visiting an indoor firing range placed a .357 magnum handgun to his head and fired one shot. Case 2: A 23‐year‐old woman who was being instructed in firearm usage at an indoor firing range placed a 9 mm handgun to her head and fired one shot. In both cases, deaths were due to cerebral laceration with skull fracture. Firing ranges may be utilized by individuals who are seeking weapons for suicide attempts, and suicide may be successfully undertaken at such locations even while a victim is under direct supervision. In jurisdictions, where firearm ownership is strictly legislated, it may be that clubs can inadvertently provide access to firearms for this type of activity.     

日本20世纪50—80年代的《楚辞》研究

20世纪50—80年代日本学者的《楚辞》研究比之上半世纪,表现出明显的进步,他们已不满足于沿着中国乾嘉传统前进,希望能够走出一条有着日本学者自我特色的研究之路。在方法上,更重视地下文物的发现,用之以与典籍文献对照,还十分注意从民俗学的角度出发来进行研究,可谓三重论证。在观点上,日本学者从哲学、社会学、宗教学、人类学等角度出发,力求阐发个人的见解。还有些日本学者作出了具有整体性的论述,体现出一种宏观性的眼光与建立体系的雄心。     

Suicides may be overreported and accidents underreported among fatalities due to dextropropoxyphene

Among prescribed drugs in Sweden dextropropoxyphene (DXP) is the medical compound most frequently responsible for self-inflicted fatal poisonings. To analyze the process leading to the classification of the manner of death in cases of fatalities where DXP caused or contributed to death, a set of explicit and implicit operational criteria was applied retrospectively to fatal DXP poisonings among autopsy cases performed at one department of forensic medicine in Sweden during the six-year period from 1992 to 1997. DXP fatality was found in 113 (2.6%) of the total 4306 autopsy cases. Suicide was recorded in 84 (74%) of these cases, and an undetermined manner of death in 24 (21%). Explicit unambiguous expressions of the intent of the decedent were found in 29 (26%) of the 109 analyzed cases. (In four cases no analysis could be performed). In 46 cases only implicit and no explicit criteria were found. The total number of implicit criteria in individual cases without explicit criteria never exceeded three and in 34 cases no criteria of any type were documented. It is concluded that the classification of the manner of death at DXP fatalities was often based on very limited grounds when the operational criteria were used as a standard for comparison. Information from relatives, friends and others concerning the decedent was rarely accessible. The shortage of information probably led to deficiencies in the death statistics concerning DXP fatalities. Considerable underreporting of accidents and probable overreporting of suicides were found. Failure to report DXP deaths as accidents may delay discovery of the high toxicity of this drug. This might be one of the reasons why the DXP fatality rate is still constantly high in Sweden, while both Denmark and Norway have managed to decrease their DXP death rates by vast restrictions, based on alarming reports of accidental DXP fatalities. In order to guarantee valid death statistics concerning self-inflicted poisoning, the information base leading to classification of the manner of death has to be enlarged. This requires implementation of new routines, including interviews of relatives, acquaintances and significant others to get the information needed to assess the decedent's intention to die. Operational criteria may facilitate the difficult classification process by providing a structured standard, and the set of explicit and implicit criteria applied in this study is recommended.     

Judicial Murder‐Suicides in Van Diemen's Land

On the morning of December 17, 1827, nine convicts were executed by public hanging in Hobart Town, the capital of the British colony of Van Diemen's Land (now the Australian state of Tasmania). Two months previously they had drowned senior Constable George Rex on Small Island, which was part of the penal settlement at Macquarie Harbor, in front of five bound and gagged witnesses. They offered no defence at their trial. Examination of the Tasmanian colonial convict records shows that “suicide by lottery” involved convicts choosing two men, one to die and the other to kill him. The witnesses would earn a respite when taken away for the trial, and the murderer would be executed. “Death by gallows” could be considered a nineteenth‐century version of an orchestrated suicide reminiscent of more modern “death by cop.” This category of “judicial” murder‐suicide expands the range of contemporary classifications of dyadic deaths.     

Suicides in hospitals of Vienna (author's transl)]

An analysis of the autopsies ordered by the Viennese Forensic and Health Authorities between 1967 and 1976 has shown that 2.3% of all suicides were committed in hospitals. Two thirds of the 77 examined cases were carried out by males. Thirty-five patients were in stationary psychiatric treatment; their average age was 50.7 years. In all other kinds of hospitals 42 (mostly male) patients committed suicide at an average age of 65.3 years. Preferred methods of performance were jump and fall from height (44.1%) and hanging (40.3%). Rare methods used were one case of abdominal incisions (harakiri), one self-strangulation, and one case of suffociation in plastic bags. The act was usually accomplished early in the morning or in the late afternoon. Among the suicidal patients who were hospitalized because of organic diseases those with malignant neoplasms [18] and cardiovascular diseases [12] were predominant. Also taking the suicides outside hospitals into consideration the numerical ratio between natural deaths due to cancer and the suicides of cancer patients is about 1:1,000. Amont the suicides in psychiatric institutions schizophrenics [11] and endogenous depressives [7] were the most numerous. In 4 cases the suicide was preceded by acts of injury or homicide.     

A Ten‐year Study of Suicides from a Rural/Suburban County

This study will discuss trends in suicide data compiled over 10 years in Dutchess County, NY, from 2004 to 2013. These data were based on reporting and examination standards recommended by the National Association of Medical Examiners and Department of Justice death investigation standards. Almost 300 cases were analyzed in terms of the deceased's gender, age, race, method of suicide, and weapon used. Results from this study agree with other reports showing significant differences for method of death both in terms of age and gender, with men more likely to choose firearms and women more likely to choose overdose. Furthermore, older persons were more likely to commit suicide by firearms, and the younger persons were more likely to commit suicide by overdose. However, other areas, such as method of suicide, differ from national statistics.     

The Psychological Impact on Police Officers of Being First Responders to Completed Suicides

When a suicide is completed, police officers are often among the first responders. Little attention has been paid to the emotional and psychological impact on the police officer in this specific situation. This study examines the effects encounters with completed suicides have on the emotional and psychological well-being of the police officer. This is a qualitative study, which intends to bring alive the feelings, thoughts, actions, choices, and challenges of police officers who have encountered completed suicides as imparted through participants' stories. Interviews were done with eight police officers. In addition, interviews were done with a coroner, a police chaplain, and a police psychologist to add some unique perspectives to the police officers’ experiences of encountering completed suicides. Interviews were done in a semi-structured, focused format involving an ongoing fine-tuning of questions. The overarching finding reveals the central role played by police culture in shaping how police officers come to perceive this experience, and how they subsequently choose to mediate it. This study identifies ten strategies police officers use to mediate this experience, and discusses the possible psychological consequences of employing each strategy.     

Prison Suicides in South Australia: 1996–2010

Forty‐eight deaths occurring in prisons in South Australia were identified between January 1996 and December 2010, including 25 cases of suicide (mean age = 37 years; median age = 34 years; age range = 24–70 years). Most suicides were due to hanging (23/25; 92.0%) with victims using bedding, belts, or shoelaces attached to cell shelves, air vents, doors, or other accessible projections. There were no suicides attributed to drug overdose or sharp force injury. Over a third of all suicides (39.1%) occurred during the first month of confinement, with 26.1% of cases occurring within the first week. There was one suicide reported after 2 years of imprisonment. Given that suicide in state prisons currently occurs at a rate approximately eight times that of the general South Australian community, it appears that the subset of incarcerated individuals represents a group in need of effective preventive strategies to enable more appropriate provisions of existing prisoner resources.     

Trends in Adult Suicides in New Mexico: Utilizing Data from the New Mexico Violent Death Reporting System*

Abstract: Although many suicide prevention programs focus on youth suicides, data indicate the vast majority of suicides occur among adults (18–64 years). In 2005 New Mexico joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Violent Death Reporting System, collecting data on suicides, homicides, and unintentional firearm fatalities to better inform state and national prevention programs. We utilized data collected by the New Mexico Violent Death Reporting System in its first 2 years of operation (2005 and 2006) in order to define the demographic patterns of adult suicides in the state and characterize risk factors. A total of 526 suicides occurred among adults during this time, with the majority being male (78.5%) and White non‐Hispanic (56.7%). The highest incidence was in adults between 45 and 54 years (28.1%). Firearms were the most commonly used mechanism, and “current depressed mood” the most commonly identified risk factor. High rates of adult suicide indicate the need for targeted prevention programs.