RESUMO
Three hundred strangulation cases, submitted for misdemeanor prosecution to the San Diego City Attorney's Office, were evaluated to determine the signs and symptoms of attempted strangulation that could be used to corroborate the victim's allegation of being "choked" for purposes of prosecution. The study reveals that a lack of training may have caused police and prosecutors to overlook symptoms of strangulation or to rely too heavily on the visible signs of strangulation. Because most victims of strangulation had no visible injuries or their injuries were too minor to photograph, opportunities for higher level criminal prosecution were missed.
Assuntos
Violência Doméstica/legislação & jurisprudência , Adulto , Asfixia/etiologia , California , Direito Penal , Violência Doméstica/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Lesões do Pescoço/diagnóstico , Ferimentos não Penetrantes/diagnósticoRESUMO
Medical literature describing victims who survive strangulation is scant. The majority of articles on strangulation are found in the forensic literature, describing the post-mortem findings on autopsy. This article presents a suggested protocol for the evaluation and treatment of the surviving victim of strangulation, based upon a review of the available literature. It also corroborates the findings of Strack et al., in the study by the San Diego City Attorney's Office, described in Part I of this series.
Assuntos
Violência Doméstica , Lesões do Pescoço/diagnóstico , Lesões do Pescoço/terapia , Ferimentos não Penetrantes/diagnóstico , Ferimentos não Penetrantes/terapia , Asfixia/etiologia , HumanosRESUMO
A review of 300 cases of alleged strangulation assault, submitted for misdemeanor prosecution by the San Diego City Attorney's Office, led to a search for medical evidence that would be useful to prosecute these cases (see Strack et al. in this issue of the Journal). The injuries identified in these non-fatal cases are similar to injuries found in fatal domestic violence strangulation assaults. This article reviews the injuries recognizable at autopsy in cases of strangulation in domestic violence victims.