Pattern of intersecting fractures and direction of fire

In gunshot wounds of the skull, the pattern of intersecting fractures may be used to verify the direction of fire. It may be the only indicator of direction, if overlying skin is destroyed or inconclusive and if bevelling is absent in gunshot defects of thin temporal bone.     

A fatality involving phentermine

A case is presented where phentermine, a sympathomimetic amine used as an anorectic drug, is believed to have significantly contributed to the death of an individual in whom other drugs were also found. Blood, urine, and tissue concentrations of phentermine are reported and compared to other cases in the literature.     

Rib spreader laceration: a confusing artifact of emergency thoracotomy

During emergency thoracotomy, an artifactual injury complex consisting of laceration, abrasion, and, rarely, contusion may be formed by application of a surgical instrument called a rib spreader. Six cases demonstrating this confusing injury are presented, and its formation is discussed.     

Analysis of alprazolam by DART-TOF mass spectrometry in counterfeit and routine drug identification cases

The high prevalence of alprazolam abuse translates to an increased workload for crime laboratories in characterizing seized tablets. These tablets may originate as diverted pharmaceuticals or counterfeited mimics, so efficient analytical techniques should provide confirmatory data while minimizing destruction of evidence. We offer the first report of a validated forensic method for confirming alprazolam tablets by direct analysis in real time-time of flight (DART-TOF) mass spectrometric analysis. This technique provides rapid identification of target analytes with minimal sample preparation, allowing direct analysis in the atmospheric sample gap. Selectivity is achieved through high resolution and mass accuracy, unique ion fragments, and chlorine isotopic ratios. This method utilizes fragmentation in two separate voltage functions to observe the alprazolam pseudo molecular ion at 309.09070 using 40 V and major ion fragments of 281.07197 and 205.07657 at 120 V. These parameters allow our laboratory to confirm alprazolam tablets efficiently, without compromising quality forensic standards.     

Mentally ill offenders eligible for diversion at local court in New South Wales (NSW), Australia: factors associated with initially successful diversion

Diversion away from the criminal justice system and into mental health treatment services is a key strategy for addressing the well-established burden of mental illness suffered by those presenting to court. While mental health courts, court liaison and court diversion services have been developed in many jurisdictions internationally, there is limited research evidence to support their effectiveness in identifying those with mental health need and achieving successful diversion. The Statewide Community and Court Liaison Service in New South Wales, Australia, identifies mentally ill offenders likely to meet legal eligibility criteria for diversion at the busiest local courts across the state. Utilising data collected by mental health clinicians working in the service, 8317 individuals were identified as being eligible for court diversion on at least one occasion during the study period (1 July 2008 and the 30 June 2015) and 57.3% were subsequently diverted by Magistrates. Successful diversion at this first step was associated with being female, older, of non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background, and having a serious mental illness, replicated when stratified by sex and by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background. There may be barriers to mental health diversion at court for individuals with particular socio-demographic characteristics which future service developments may need to take into account.