Circumstances and toxicology of violence-related deaths among young people who have had contact with the youth justice system: a data linkage study

BMC Public Health

Linda Teplin¹  Ed Heffernan²  Matthew J. Spittal³  Emilia Janca³  Melissa Willoughby⁴  George Patton⁵  Susan M. Sawyer⁵  Rohan Borschmann⁶  Stuart A. Kinner⁷  Jesse T. Young⁸  Katie Hail-Jares⁹ 

[1] Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA;Forensic Mental Health Group, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Brisbane, Australia;Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia;Queensland Forensic Mental Health Service, Queensland Health, Brisbane, Australia;Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Justice Health Unit, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, 3053, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Justice Health Unit, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, 3053, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Justice Health Unit, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, 3053, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;The Nossal Institute for Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Justice Health Unit, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, 3053, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK;Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Justice Health Unit, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, 3053, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Mater Research Institute-UQ, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia;Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia;School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia;Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Justice Health Unit, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, 3053, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia;National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia;School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia;

关键词: Homicide;    Violence;    Death;    Toxicology;    Young people;    Medio-legal;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-021-12244-z

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundYoung people who have had contact with the youth justice system have an increased risk of dying from violence. Examining the context of violence-related deaths is essential in informing prevention strategies. We examined the circumstances and toxicology of violence-related deaths among young people who have had contact with the youth justice system in Queensland, Australia.MethodsThis data linkage study linked youth justice records from Queensland, Australia (30 June 1993-1 July 2014) on 48,670 young people to national death and coroner records (1 July 2000-1 January 2017). Circumstances and toxicology of deaths were coded from coroner’s records. We calculated the incidence of violence-related deaths that were reported to a coroner. Fisher’s exact tests were used to examine crude differences in the circumstances and toxicology of violence-related death, according to sex and Indigenous status.ResultsThere were 982 deaths reported to a coroner in the cohort. Of which, 36 (4%) were from violence-related causes (incidence: 6 per 100,000 person-years, 95% confidence interval: 4-8). People who died from violence were most frequently male (n = 28/36; 78%), and almost half were Indigenous (n = 16/36; 44%). The majority of violence-related deaths involved a weapon (n = 24/36; 67%), most commonly a knife (n = 17/36; 47%). Compared to men where the violent incident was most frequently preceded by an altercation (n = 12/28; 43%), for women it was frequently preceded by a relationship breakdown or argument (n < 5; p = 0.004). Substances most commonly present in toxicology reports were cannabis (n = 16/23; 70%) and alcohol (n = 15/23; 65%).ConclusionsTherapeutic alcohol and other drug programs, both in the community and detention, are likely important for reducing violence-related deaths among young people who have had contact with the youth justice system. The majority of violence-related deaths among women were in the context of intimate partner violence, indicating the urgent need for interventions that prevent intimate partner violence in this population. Diversion programs and increased investment in health and social services may reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the youth justice system and in violence-related deaths.

【 授权许可】

CC BY