Communicating with the Coroner: How Religion, Culture, and Family Concerns May Influence Autopsy Decision Making

Carpenter, Belinda; Tait, Gordon; Adkins, Glenda; Barnes, Michael A.; Naylor, Charles; Begum, Nelufa

doi:10.1080/07481187.2010.520506

Cited by 19 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…Indigenous people tend to be over-represented in Coronial investigations, and Muslim and Jewish populations tend to be under-represented. Moreover, within our research, the identified status and raised objections of Indigenous people tend to have little impact on autopsy decision making, while Jewish and Muslim populations-though both representing complex continua of religious beliefs and affiliations-tend to have less invasive autopsies performed when their status is identified or a concern is communicated to the Coroner [3,7]. This appears to suggest that religion and culture does not impartially inform Coronial staff in their decision making about autopsy and a further discussion of this issue offers some insight as to the differential positioning of religious and cultural minorities in the Coronial system.…”

Section: Religious and Cultural Minoritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it is also in a context of very few objections being raised, especially by those with religious or cultural proscriptions against autopsy [3]. In general, such proscriptions position the body as sacred, as a holy vessel belonging to God after death [13].…”

Section: Autopsiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the result of an increased focus on consent in the hospital or clinical setting has seen a steep decline in such autopsies since the 1980s while Coronial autopsies have remained constant, or even increased. As a consequence, the vast majority of autopsies performed now occur in the Coronial setting [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Body in Grief: Death Investigations, Objections to Autopsy, and the Religious and Cultural ‘Other’

2014

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Sudden, violent and otherwise unexplained deaths are investigated in most western jurisdictions through a Coronial or medico-legal process. A crucial element of such an investigation is the legislative requirement to remove the body for autopsy and other medical interventions, processes which can disrupt traditional religious and cultural grieving practices. While recent legislative changes in an increasing number of jurisdictions allow families to raise objections based on religious and cultural grounds, such concerns can be over-ruled, often exacerbating the trauma and grief of families. Based on funded research which interviews a range of Coronial staff in one Australian jurisdiction, this paper explores the disjuncture between medico-legal discourses, which position the body as corpse, and the rise of more 'therapeutic' discourses which recognise the family's wishes to reposition the body as beloved and lamented.

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Section: Religious and Cultural Minoritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Autopsiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Body in Grief: Death Investigations, Objections to Autopsy, and the Religious and Cultural ‘Other’

2014

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“…The new coronial acts give families the right to have their views considered when issues arise such as the extent of the autopsy, or the retention of organs or tissues for further investigation (Freckleton and Ranson 2006). Previous research has demonstrated that raised family concerns do affect the coronial investigation, with coroners less likely to order an internal autopsy when a raised family concern is reported (Carpenter et al 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Scrutinising the Other: Incapacity, Suspicion and Manipulation in a Death Investigation

Carpenter¹,

Tait

Quadrelli

et al. 2015

Journal of Intercultural Studies

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In common law countries like England, Australia, the USA and Canada, certain deaths come to be investigated through the coronial system. These include sudden, unnatural or suspicious deaths as well as those which appear to be the result of naturally occurring disease but the precise cause is unknown. When a reportable death occurs in Australia, a number of professional groups become involved in its investigation -police, coroners, pathologists and counsellors. While research has demonstrated the importance of training and education for staff in the context of criminal investigations -with its over-representation of vulnerable and marginalised populations -this is less likely to occur in the context of death investigations, despite such investigations also involving the over-representation of vulnerable populations. This paper, part of larger funded research on the decision-making of coronial professionals in the context of cultural and religious difference, explores the ways in which cultural and religious minority groups -in this case Islam, Judaism and Indigeneity -become differently positioned during the death investigation based upon how they are perceived as 'other'. Our research raises three issues. First, positioning as 'the other' is dependent on the professional training of the staff member, with police and pathologists far more likely than coroners to be suspicious or ignorant of difference. Second, specific historical and contemporary events effect the Othering of religious and cultural difference. Third, the grieving practices associated with religious and cultural difference can be collectively Othered through their perceived opposition to modernity.

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“…Kramar, 2006;Carpenter and Tait, 2010;Scott Bray, 2012;Leslie, 2013;Scraton, 2013;Barnes, Kirkegaard and Carpenter, 2014;Tait, Carpenter, Quadrelli and Naylor, 2015), autopsies and cultural concerns (e.g. , Carpenter, Tait, Adkins, Barnes, Naylor and Begum, 2011, Carpenter, Tait, Quadrelli and Drayton, 2015, coronial fact-finding (e.g. Scott Bray, 2010;Tait, Carpenter, De Leo and Tatz, 2015), inquests in a new media age (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction:Frontiers in Coronial Justice– ushering in a new era of coronial research

Bray¹,

Martin²

2016

International Journal of Law in Context

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This Special Issue, Frontiers in Coronial Justice, reflects on the future of death investigation studies in the coronial context. Where the uptake of the death studies movement in the social sciences more broadly has expanded the interdisciplinary study of death, comparatively little attention has focused on the work of coroners or their death investigation practices. Important, but albeit ad hoc, contributions from the disciplines of medicine, law, public health and criminology, highlight both the possibilities for coronial scholarship and how coronial studies continue to percolate at disciplinary margins. And yet, there is growing social attention to death generally, from death cafés to death salons, and the 'positive death movement' more broadly. Society is clustering around conversations seeking social change in facing death, including preparatory discussions around end of life wishes and options. Yet, by their very nature, unexpected, sudden or violent deaths -those that fall under the jurisdiction of the coroner -constitute a distinct category of death; one that is, in many ways, incapable of being prepared for. Nevertheless, such deaths present instances of considerable medical, legal and social industry, with attendant issues around autopsy and inquests, for example. This industry is also changing, as coronial law and policy reform across international jurisdictions has refined, clarified and sought to evolve the coronial role. Together, these developments evidence why coronial law and practice deserve sustained attention. Correspondingly, a theme that unites the papers in this special issue is a greater appreciation of the principles and practices of coronial death investigation. It is intended that, by showcasing work that cuts across law, socio-legal studies, criminology and history, this Special Issue will contribute to delivering new frontiers in coronial research.At a snapshot, the genres of scholarly attention to the coronial jurisdiction are wide and varied. Coroners' work has intermittently piqued the attention of socio-legal scholars (e.g. Wells, 1991Wells, , 1996Sampson, 2003;Pemberton, 2008; Corrin and Douglas, 2008), and legal scholars have canvassed specific issues, such as human rights, in the context of coronial work and litigation (Hunyor, 2008(Hunyor, , 2009O'Brien, 2009;Ismail, 2010;Hyam, 2010;Chevalier-Watts, 2010;McIntosh, 2012;Freckelton and McGregor, 2014), including literature that touches upon deaths in certain contexts, such as Northern Ireland (e.g. Bell and Keenan, 2005). Save few exceptions, criminological scholarship is found largely wanting on any wholesale attention to theorising death investigation. As a research focus, coronial work has been addressed through methodological questions, such as the value of using coronial data (e.g. Pelfry and White Covington, 2007), or where coronial processes and documents (coronial findings, inquest proceedings and transcripts) form the basis for case-study research (e.g. Cunneen, 2006;Prenzler, 2010;Porter, 2013). Until recently, case-...

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Communicating with the Coroner: How Religion, Culture, and Family Concerns May Influence Autopsy Decision Making

Cited by 19 publications

References 20 publications

The Body in Grief: Death Investigations, Objections to Autopsy, and the Religious and Cultural ‘Other’

The Body in Grief: Death Investigations, Objections to Autopsy, and the Religious and Cultural ‘Other’

Scrutinising the Other: Incapacity, Suspicion and Manipulation in a Death Investigation

Introduction:Frontiers in Coronial Justice– ushering in a new era of coronial research

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