Death in detention in Sousse, Tunisia: a 10-year autopsy study

Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences

Mohamed Mahjoub¹  Souheil Mlayeh²  Mohamed Ché³  Zied Mezgar³  Mohamed Ben Dhiab³  Maher Jedidi³  Majed Zemni³  Tasnim Masmoudi³  rif El khal⁴ 

[1] Department of emergency medicine, Farhat Hached University Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia;Department of hospital hygiene, Farhat Hached University Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia;Department of legal medicine, Farhat Hached University Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia;Department of legal medicine, Ibn Jazzar University Hospital, Kairouan, Tunisia

关键词: Death;    Prisons;    Disease;    Suicide;    Tunisia;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s41935-018-0044-z

学科分类：生理学与病理学

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Mortality rates and causes of death of the detainees are hence different from those of the general population and there also vary according to regions and countries. To study the peculiarities of death among individuals detained in the region of Sousse in Tunisia and to suggest preventive measures. This is a descriptive retrospective study of all deaths in detention collated in the Forensic Medicine department of Farhat Hached teaching hospital in Sousse, Tunisia during a 10-year period 2006 to 2015. 26 deaths were collected. All the victims were males. The mean age was 39.5 years. The deaths occurred inside the prison in 42.3% and 57.7% in a hospital. The deaths were of natural causes in 69.2%. The most common natural causes were cancer (6 cases, 33.3%) and infections (5 cases,27.8%). Violent death accounted for 31.8% of deaths with 08 victims. Suicide and homicide were the violent death causes most incriminated each with 11.5% (3 cases). The suicide means was hanging in all cases. The death was accidental in 2 cases (7.7%). This study shows that a large proportion of deaths among prisoners are preventable. Prevention is, on the one side, by improving the prison health coverage and on the other side by training the prison staff on the identification of suicidal crises and on controlling the technical devices facilitating the transition to the suicidal act, in particular the hanging cases.

【 授权许可】

CC BY