Forensic Pathological Study of 115 Deaths in Custody in China

Deaths in custody or during contact with law enforcement attract considerable public concern. A retrospective study was undertaken involving 115 autopsied cases of people who died in custody from 2000 to 2009. The cases are from the files of the Department of Forensic Pathology, Tongji Medical College, HUST, Wuhan. There was a preponderance of males (113 cases) with only two (2) deaths of women. The age range of the males was from 15 to 77 years. 96 (83.5%) of these males were young adults ranging in age from 20 to 49 year. 70 (60.9%) were peasants. The interval between death and autopsy of 53 (46.1%) cases was within 48 h. Of the 111 cases with known causes of death, most of them (83 cases, 72.1%) died of natural disease and the remainder were violent deaths. Regarding the manner of death: 83 cases were natural deaths, of which 39 (47%) were from cardiovascular disease; 23 cases were suicide; 5 cases were accidental death; 4 cases were undetermined. These data are consistent with the fact that most criminal offenders are young adult men and that the main causes of death in custody are natural. Suicide is a well-recognized phenomenon amongst deaths in custody globally and prevention of suicide is a significant challenge for custodial authorities. It is suggested that all police and law enforcement units should strengthen efforts to prevent and manage natural disease in custody.