State Firearm Laws and Firearm-Related Mortality and Morbidity.

This Viewpoint highlights the challenges to passing federal legislation that limits gun ownership and accessibility and summarizes some of the state laws used to successfully lower rates of firearm-related death and injury.

Analysis of "Stand Your Ground" Self-defense Laws and Statewide Rates of Homicides and Firearm Homicides.

Importance: Most US states have amended self-defense laws to enhance legal immunities for individuals using deadly force in public. Despite concerns that "stand your ground" (SYG) laws unnecessarily encourage the use of deadly violence, their impact on violent deaths and how this varies across states and demographic groups remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate the association of SYG laws with homicide and firearm homicide, nationally and by state, while considering variation by the race, age, and sex of individuals who died by homicide. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used a controlled, multiple-baseline and -location interrupted time series design, using natural variation in the timings and locations of SYG laws to assess associations. Changes in homicide and firearm homicide were modeled using Poisson regression analyses within a generalized additive model framework. Analyses included all US states that enacted SYG laws between 2000 and 2016 and states that did not have SYG laws enacted during the full study period, 1999 to 2017. Data were analyzed from November 2019 to December 2020. Exposures: SYG self-defense laws enacted by statute between January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were statewide monthly rates of homicide and firearm-related homicide (per 100 000 persons) from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2017, grouped by characteristics (ie, race, age, sex) of individuals who died by homicide. Results: Forty-one states were analyzed, including 23 states that enacted SYG laws during the study period and 18 states that did not have SYG laws, with 248 358 homicides (43.7% individuals aged 20-34 years; 77.9% men and 22.1% women), including 170 659 firearm homicides. SYG laws were associated with a mean national increase of 7.8% in monthly homicide rates (incidence rate ratio [IRR],1.08; 95% CI, 1.04-1.12; P < .001) and 8.0% in monthly firearm homicide rates (IRR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.13; P = .002). SYG laws were not associated with changes in the negative controls of suicide (IRR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98-1.01) or firearm suicide (IRR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.98-1.02). Increases in violent deaths varied across states, with the largest increases (16.2% to 33.5%) clustering in the South (eg, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana). There were no differential associations of SYG laws by demographic group. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that adoption of SYG laws across the US was associated with increases in violent deaths, deaths that could potentially have been avoided.

The Assassination of Medgar Evers.

In 1995, Dr Martin Dalton published a recounting of his involvement with the first human lung transplant in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery. As recalled in that account, the first lung transplant took place in the summer of 1963 in the context of another historical event, the assassination of Medgar Evers. This article is written in follow-up to Dalton's report in hopes of providing more insight into the events surrounding the assassination. This review will discuss the details of the assassination, attempted resuscitation, and the medical evidence presented in the trial of his assassin.

Matricide, parricide, and filicide: Are major mental disorders or personality disorders involved? Assessment of criminal responsibility in Brazilian cases.

Violence committed by individuals with severe mental disorders has become a growing focus of interest among physicians, law enforcement officials, and the general population. Homicide involving relatives, specially parricide, matricide, and filicide, despite the relatively low incidence of these crimes, may be enigmatic, so forensic psychiatrist are frequently called on the courts to answer questions about insanity and criminal responsibility. The current study aims to describe Brazilian cases of parricide, matricide, and filicide associated with presence of major mental disorders and personality disorders, discussing the assessment of criminal responsibility in each case. The case series described were specifically related to people with mental illness, as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and borderline personality with comorbidity of drug abuse. Two of them were considered not guilty by reason of insanity, and the other one was considered partially criminally responsible, according to Brazilian Law and Forensic Psychiatric Reports of the cases. The justice determined compulsory psychiatric treatment for all of them. The question of criminal responsibility of individuals with mental disorders is challenging for criminal justice, psychiatry, and society. Adequate treatment is mandatory to prevent crimes involving mental disorders, as shown in literature. The verification of criminal responsibility is essential for persons' adequate referral in any system of criminal law, thus protecting human rights and referring those who need psychiatric treatment.

Behavioral Variant of Frontotemporal Dementia and Homicide in a Historical Case.

Criminal behavior is a clinical feature of the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), ranging from socially inappropriate behavior and minor offenses (such as shoplifting, driving-related violations, housebreaking, trespassing) to the more extreme acts of sex crimes and violence. To our knowledge, no homicide case involving bvFTD is well illustrated in the scientific literature, and only a few anecdotal annotations are available about bvFTD and homicide. This is surprising considering the inclination of individuals with bvFTD to lack impulse control, to manifest disinhibition, to display diminished emotional awareness and loss of empathy, and to show behavior indicative of disordered moral reasoning. Here, we describe the 19th-century homicide case of Benjamin Reynaud, a man whose clinical characteristics suggest the bvFTD diagnosis. Reynaud's case may represent a rare instance of homicide committed by an individual with bvFTD and provide a basis for some reflections regarding the relationship between homicidal behavior and bvFTD.

Homicide impunity in Brazil between 2006 and 2016.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the level and temporal trends of homicide impunity in Brazil. METHODS: This is an ecological study that calculated two impunity indexes by dividing the total number of homicides committed in a 5-year period by the number of individuals arrested for murder (homicide impunity) or any other cause (general impunity) two years after this period. The Prais-Winsten linear regression model with serial autocorrelation correction was used to estimate the temporal trend of the impunity indexes. RESULTS: Between 2009 and 2014, 328,714 homicides were recorded in Brazil, but only 84,539 prisoners were serving sentences for this kind of crime in 2016. This shows that the number of homicides in Brazil exceeded in 244,175 the number of individuals in prisons for this crime. The impunity index ranged from 3.9 in 2006 to 3.3 in 2014. All states reached values above 1. Rio de Janeiro stood out negatively, with values above 20. São Paulo, Santa Catarina, and Distrito Federal showed the lowest impunity indexes for homicide, with values below 2. Eight states showed a downward trend in the overall impunity index. CONCLUSIONS: Most Brazilian states presented extremely high impunity indexes values. However, from 2010 to 2012, Brazilian society started to effectively combat impunity for serious violent crimes, including homicide. In São Paulo, this positive trend arose in the mid-1990s and that state currently shows impunity indexes values similar to those of developed countries.

A propósito de un caso de migración de proyectil / Concerning about a case of projectile migration

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Mujeres Filicidas: Análsis desde una perspectiva psicojurídica / Filicidal women: Analysis from a psycho-legal perspective

Resumen El presente escrito tiene por objetivo, identificar si existe una perspectiva psicojurídica del delito de homicidio de una madre hacia sus hijos (Filicidio) y sus características principales. Se trata de una revisión documental, en la cual se seleccionaron 67 artículos entre los años 2005-2017 en idiomas inglés y español, de bases de datos como; Science Direct, Redalyc, MedLine, PubMed, Scielo. Como resultado de esta revisión no se encontró ningún documento que contenga un enfoque desde la psicología jurídica que aborde este delito. Se propuso clasificar esta conducta punible según dos tipologías en las cuales se tiene en cuenta, la motivación de la agresora y características de la víctima, se consideran varios vacíos en las leyes, lo cual pretende trazar un camino para investigaciones desde esta área, que puedan contribuir a la prevención y mitigación de este tipo de hechos y aportar a futuras políticas publicas

Abstract This paper aims to identify if there is a psycho-juridical perspective of the crime of homicide of a mother towards her children (Filicide) and its main characteristics. It is a documentary review, in which 67 articles were selected between the years 2005-2017 in English and Spanish, databases such as; Science Direct, Redalyc, MedLine, PubMed, Scielo. As a result of this review we did not find any document that contains a legal psychology approach that addresses this crime. It was proposed to classify this punishable conduct according to two typologies in which the motivation of the aggressor and characteristics of the victim are considered, several gaps are considered in the laws, which intends to chart a way for investigations from this area, that can Contribute to the prevention and mitigation of this type of events and contribute to future public politics

Análisis epidemiológico de la violencia de género en la Unión Europea / Epidemiological analysis of gender violence in the European Union

Existe una gran heterogeneidad regional y desconocimiento de la situación actual de la violencia de género (VdG) en los diferentes países de la Unión Europea (UE-28). El objetivo del presente trabajo es determinar la prevalencia actual de la VdG y de feminicidios en la UE-28 y en particular en España. Consiste en un estudio descriptivo observacional (análisis de documentos) seleccionando y analizando datos de las diferentes modalidades de la VdG y de feminicidios en los 28 países de la UE. Letonia, Dinamarca, Reino Unido, Suecia, Bélgica, Finlandia, Eslovaquia y Luxemburgo tienen tasas más altas que la media de la UE en todos los tipos de VdG y Finlandia, Hungría, Irlanda del Norte y Letonia poseen índices de prevalencia más altos en feminicidios. Con respecto a España, el 0,13% de las mujeres fueron víctimas de VdG y se producen 2,3 feminicidios por cada 1.000.000 mujeres, situándose España entre los países con tasas más bajas. Se concluye que el maltrato psicológico es el más prevalente en la UE-28, sin embargo, existe una dificultad para la comparación de datos de los diferentes países debido a la inexistencia de una conceptualización legal común de la VdG

There is a great regional heterogeneity and ignorance of the current gender-based violence (GBV) situation in the different countries of the European Union (EU-28). The aim of this paper is to determine the current prevalence of GBV and femicides in the EU-28 and in Spain in particular. This study consists of an observational descriptive study (document analysis) which selects and analyses data belonging to the different modalities of GBV and femicides in the EU-28 countries. Latvia, Denmark, United Kingdom, Sweden, Belgium, Finland, Slovakia and Luxembourg possess higher rates than the EU average in all types of GBV while Finland, Hungary, Northern Ireland and Latvia possess higher prevalence rates in femicide. With respect to Spain, 0.13% of women were victims of GBV and 2.3 femicides occur for every 1.000.000 women, with Spain being among the countries with the lowest rates. It is therefore concluded that psychological abuse is the most prevalent within the EU-28, however, it is difficult to compare said data from different countries due to the lack of a common legal conceptuaisation of GBV

Bride burning: A unique and ongoing form of gender-based violence.

Despite legislation, dowry is still widespread in many parts of India and adjacent countries. It refers to the transfer of goods, money, and property to a bridegroom, his parents, or his relatives from a bride's family as a condition of the marriage. One of the consequences of the dowry system has been the murder or abetted suicide of young wives, either because more dowry goods were not provided to her husband or his family, or to secure the goods after marriage. In 2015 7634 women died due to dowry harassment, representing approximately 21 cases per day in India. The majority of dowry deaths occur within the first three years of marriage. Common types of dowry death homicides involve fire ('bride burning', drowning, poisoning and hanging/strangulation. In addition to legislation, an organized and multipronged approach is need by investigating police officers, women's' welfare organizations, responsible public servants, and the judiciary with consistent applications of deterrent penalties. Full and properly conducted medicolegal investigation is mandatory which must include scene examinations, full autopsies with photographic documentation and ancillary investigations such as headspace analyses. Significant burns in young Indian women living in traditional circumstances should raise the possibility of dowry-related crime.

For Victims of Fatal Child Abuse, Who Has the Right to Consent to Organ Donation?

In rare circumstances, children who have suffered traumatic brain injury from child abuse are declared dead by neurologic criteria and are eligible to donate organs. When the parents are the suspected abusers, there can be confusion about who has the legal right to authorize organ donation. Furthermore, organ donation may interfere with the collection of forensic evidence that is necessary to evaluate the abuse. Under those circumstances, particularly in the context of a child homicide investigation, the goals of organ donation and collection and preservation of critical forensic evidence may seem mutually exclusive. In this Ethics Rounds, we discuss such a case and suggest ways to resolve the apparent conflicts between the desire to procure organs for donation and the need to thoroughly evaluate the evidence of abuse.

What is suicide? Classifying self-killings.

Although the most common understanding of suicide is intentional self-killing, this conception either rules out someone who lacks mental capacity being classed as a suicide or, if acting intentionally is meant to include this sort of case, then what it means to act intentionally is so weak that intention is not a necessary condition of suicide. This has implications in health care, and has a further bearing on issues such as assisted suicide and health insurance. In this paper, I argue that intention is not a necessary condition of suicide at all. Rather, I develop a novel approach that deploys the structure of a homicide taxonomy to classify and characterise suicides to arrive at a conceptually robust understanding of suicide. According to my analysis of suicide, an agent is the proximate cause of his death. Suicide is 'self-killing,' rather than 'intentional self-killing.' Adopting this understanding of suicide performs several functions: (1) We acquire an external standard to assess diverging analyses on specific cases by appealing to homologous homicides. (2) Following such a taxonomy differentiates types of suicides. (3) This approach has application in addressing negative connotations about suicide. (4) As a robust view, adding intention is an unnecessary complication. (5) It is more consistent with psychological and sociological assessments of suicide than 'intentional self-killing.' (6) It has useful applications in informing public policy. This paper's focus is on classifying types of suicides, rather than on the moral permissibility or on underlying causes of suicidal ideation and behaviour.

The Death of Freddie Gray and Its Impact on Homicides in Baltimore and Maryland.

This study evaluated the impact that Freddie Gray's death on April, 19, 2015, had on homicides within Baltimore, Prince George's County, and the rest of Maryland. The numbers of these deaths were compared in the 2 years prior and after his death. The average number of homicide per month in Baltimore and Prince George's County, but not the rest of Maryland, showed a statistically significant increase in the 2 years after his death, with a sudden spike in homicides in Baltimore immediately following his death. Spatial density ("heat") maps of homicides showed an increase in clustering of deaths after Freddie Gray's demise in portions of Baltimore, particularly near his arrest site. Hot spot maps showed a massive expansion of statistically significant clusters of homicides in areas of West and East Baltimore after his death. An emerging hot spot analysis revealed consecutive hot spots in large areas of West Baltimore with new hot spots prominent along the southern edge of this area. A review of the history of Baltimore, as well as discussions with Baltimore homicide detectives, revealed that prior socioeconomic and political trends likely primed Baltimore for the protests and violence that occurred after Freddie Gray's death. It is probable that a perceived "overcharging" of officers involved in his death by the State's Attorney resulted in a "pullback" from policing that directly led to increased homicides in Baltimore.

Legal Outcomes of Suspected Maltreatment Cases Evaluated by a Child Abuse Pediatrician as Part of a Multidisciplinary Team Investigation.

Child abuse pediatricians often carry the stigma that their sole role is to diagnose maltreatment. In reality, child abuse pediatricians use their clinical experience and current evidence-based medicine to make the best medical diagnoses for the children they evaluate. To better understand the legal conclusion of suspected maltreatment cases with medical examinations, this study sought to: (i) evaluate the percentage of children seen for suspected maltreatment that led to a clinical diagnosis of maltreatment, (ii) determine the number and type of criminal charges associated, and (iii) analyze the legal outcomes of cases as they proceeded through the judicial system. This study retrospectively reviewed the legal outcomes of 1698 children medically evaluated in 2013-2014 as part of an investigation by a multidisciplinary team at a children's advocacy center in a mid-sized city in Oklahoma. Data were collected from electronic medical records, the district attorney's office, and a public court docket. Of the original cohort, 477 (28.09%) children yielded a medical diagnosis of at least one type of maltreatment. Further analysis yielded 115 unique court cases involving 138 defendants and 151 children. A total of 286 charges were filed resulting in 190 convictions. While maltreatment allegations yield a high number of children that must be evaluated, a comprehensive medical evaluation helps determine which cases do not have sufficient medical findings for a diagnosis of maltreatment. The findings in this study indicate that a majority of suspected maltreatment cases seen by child abuse pediatricians did not result in criminal court outcomes.

Arsenic, Familicide, and Female Physiology in Nineteenth-Century America.

Sarah Jane Whiteling was accused of fatally poisoning her husband and two children in Philadelphia in 1888. The case prompted public outrage over the appearance that Ms. Whiteling's motive was to collect life insurance. It was evident, however, that she was disturbed, raising a question of culpability. Dr. Alice Bennett, the first female physician in charge of an asylum, provided the defense with expert testimony on the defendant's mental state. Dr. Bennett, who had little forensic but much clinical experience, proposed a physiological theory of insanity among women with reproduction-related derangements. At that time, cultural ideas about "female poisoners" colored popular and journalistic perceptions of Ms. Whiteling. Familicide was considered unconscionable because a mother's duty was to nurture and protect her family. When Ms. Whiteling was convicted and sentenced to death, Dr. Bennett undertook a campaign for commutation. Her unsuccessful efforts to reduce culpability were followed by Ms. Whiteling's hanging in 1889, the first execution of a woman in Philadelphia since colonial times. This article recounts the Whiteling case, Dr. Bennett's involvement in it, and how it relates to what is known about familicide. It is argued here that Dr. Bennett was a pioneer in applying medical expert testimony to effect individualized mitigation.