The legal impact of forensic medical life-threatening danger assessment conclusions in cases of violent offense

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the association between the legal outcome for suspected perpetrators and the forensic life-threatening danger assessments conducted as part of the clinical forensic medical examinations of victims with penetrating injuries. MethodFrom the Danish Central Crime Register, we retrieved the legal outcomes for suspected perpetrators linked to victims with penetrating injuries in a six-year period and compared the proportional distribution of forensic life-threatening danger assessment conclusions – no life-threatening danger (NLD), could have been in life-threatening danger (CLD), and life-threatening danger (LD) – with the legal outcomes. Results326 victims were related to at least one identified suspected perpetrator with a legal outcome. When the forensic life-threatening danger assessments were more severe, an increased proportion of cases resulted in formal charges and, subsequently, conviction, than when the forensic life-threatening danger assessments were less severe. The percentage point differences between NLD, CLD, and LD were almost equal. ConclusionOur results indicate that the forensic life-threatening danger assessments are associated with the legal outcome, as both the proportion of cases with formal charges and the proportion of cases with a conviction increased with the severity of the forensic life-threatening danger assessment conclusions.