Analysis of skeletal trauma on the bodies found in a mass grave.

This study was based on the data from the casefiles of the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IFM) in Kosovo, to analyse and interpret trauma observed on individuals recovered from a mass grave in Rudnica, Serbia. The intention was to determine if there is a pattern of trauma characteristic of this mass grave that informs about the manner of death and whether this is consistent with witness testimonies. The study considers the limitations of such analysis and interpretation, with special consideration of the completeness of the remains. The casefiles of 54 individuals recovered from the Rudnica mass grave from April to June 2014 were examined. A descriptive analysis was undertaken of the demographic profile of the sample, primary site of burial, completeness of the bodies, type and distribution of trauma, and the documented cause of death. All the individuals identified from the Rudnica mass grave were male aged from 14 to 96 years at time of death originating from four separate primary events with two known primary burial sites. Overall, 56% of the bodies were almost complete, 35% incomplete, and 9% complete. Discussion of the determination of completeness is included herein. The only type of trauma documented on the remains was gunshot wound trauma with the distribution of injuries concentrated on the trunk, followed by the limbs and head/neck regions. The cause of death was established in 56% of the cases. A pattern of trauma on the skeletal remains from the Rudnica mass grave was established based on the distribution and type of trauma documented from the dataset of each individual. These findings can be used as a basis for future studies in this field of research by taking a similar approach on larger samples and addressing the limitations encountered here.

Quality of prison life, violence and mental health in Dubrava prison.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between the quality of prison life and mental health among prisoners and the occurrence of violence. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: In total, 203 prisoners from Dubrava Correctional Center in Kosovo participated. Data on background characteristics of the prisoners, quality of prison life, mental health symptoms and exposure to physical, psychological and sexual violence were collected through interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed using general linear models (GLM) and manual backwards model search with step-wise exclusion. FINDINGS: The GLM analysis showed a significant negative association between anxiety symptom load (-1.4), physical violence (-1.5) and psychological violence (-1.9), and quality of prison life. Furthermore, it appeared that prisoners rating of quality of life (QoL) increased with time among prisoners not exposed to violence, while this was not seen among prisoners exposed to violence. Finally, there was an inverse association between the dimensions of respect, fairness, humanity and good staff/prisoner relations, and the proportion of prisoners exposed to violence. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: An environment with higher levels of respect, fairness, humanity and good relations between staff and prisoners was associated with lower levels of violence. Hence, a prison that focuses on promoting QoL and good mental health among prisoners will show lower levels of violence, thereby making the prison a more tolerable place for the prisoners and a better working environment for prison staff.