NCJ Number
222358
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 53 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2008 Pages: 447-451
Date Published
March 2008
Length
5 pages
Annotation
In order to determine the prevalence and circumstances of psychoactive substances present in homicide victims in New South Wales (Australia), this study analyzed 485 consecutive cases of homicide victims autopsied by the New South Wales Department of Forensic Medicine from January 1, 1996, through December 31, 2005.
Abstract
The study found that multiple substance use prior to death was common among homicide victims. Consistent with the epidemiology of substance use in Australia as a whole, alcohol and cannabis were the most commonly detected substances. For all major drug classes, general-population daily use was at far lower levels than those found among decedents: alcohol (8.9 percent), cannabis (1.9 percent), methamphetamine (0.4 percent), and heroin (0.14 percent). Based on these data, it is reasonable to conclude that the presence of these drugs significantly increased the risk of a fatal incident, whether through direct drug effects or through violence associated with the use of these drugs. High levels of substance use were present across all physical, temporal, and social circumstances. The highest proportion of illicit-drug positive cases were found among firearms homicides, and the highest proportion of alcohol-positive cases were found in blunt-force-injury cases. Substances were common across various social circumstances, with high proportions present among victims of domestic violence and physical altercations. Although males were significantly more likely to have alcohol and cannabis detected, no gender differences were found for other drugs. The proportion of alcohol-positive cases increased from 25 percent on Monday to 49.4 percent for Saturdays/Sundays. 2 tables, 1 figure, and 31 references