Problems with the coronial determination of ‘suicide’

Tait, Gordon; Carpenter, Belinda; Leo, Diego De; Tatz, Colin

doi:10.1080/13576275.2015.1012489

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…Part of the problem for coroners is balancing the competing demands of accurate manner of death findings with the need for care and sensitivity toward the family. In suicide verdicts, these are made more complicated by the difficulty of determining intent in the context of a highly stigmatised death and the various and varying definitions of suicide that currently exist [ 29 ]. There is thus significant ambiguity or “wriggle room” in a finding of suicide, ambiguity that is also acknowledged in the literature [ 30 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is no standard definition of suicide deployed across all Australian jurisdictions [ 25 ]. This is perhaps not surprising given the range of definitions in use across the literature [ 29 ]. The definitions used in the Australian coronial context appear to have been taken from a variety of sources—civil law, dictionaries, ‘common sense’, academic texts, internal memos and bench-books [ 25 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coronial Practice, Indigeneity and Suicide

Tait

Carpenter

Jowett

2018

IJERPH

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All available data suggest that, like many other Indigenous peoples, Australian Aborigines are significantly more likely to kill themselves than are non-Aboriginal Australians. This statistical disparity is normally positioned an objective, ontological and undeniable social fact, a fact best explained as a function of endemic community disadvantage and disenfranchisement. This research explores the possibility that higher-than-normal Aboriginal suicide rates may also be a function of coronial decision-making practices. Based upon in-depth interviews with 32 coroners from across Australia, the following conclusions emerged from the data. First, coroners have differing perceptions of Indigenous capacity, and are less likely to have concerns about intent when the suicide is committed by an Indigenous person. Second, coroners have identified divergent scripts of Indigenous suicide, particularly its spontaneity and public location, and this supports rather than challenges, a finding of suicide. Third, the coronial perception of Indigenous life is a factor which influences a suicide determination for Indigenous deaths. Finally, the low level of Indigenous engagement with the coronial system, and the unlikelihood of a challenge to the finding of suicide by Indigenous families, means that a coronial determination of suicide is more likely.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coronial Practice, Indigeneity and Suicide

Tait

Carpenter

Jowett

2018

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“…Given the importance of suicide statistics, this may require targeted changes to coronial legislation and practice. A number of speculative suggestions can be made here (Tait, Carpenter, De Leo and Tatz, 2015). For example, rather than a single binarysuicide / not suicideit has been suggested that graded determinations of suicide could be more effective (De Leo et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The continuing implications of the ‘crime’ of suicide: a brief history of the present

Tait¹,

Carpenter²

2016

International Journal of Law in Context

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The long history of suicide as a criminal offence still has a significant contemporary effect on how it is perceived, conceptualised and adjudged. This is particularly the case within countries where suicide is largely determined within a coronial system, such as Australia, the UK and the US. This paper details the outcomes of a study involving semi-structured interviews with coroners both in England and Australia, as well as observations at inquests. It focuses around the widely held contention that the suicide rates produced within these coronial systems are underestimations of anywhere between 15 to 50 per cent. The results of these interviews suggest that there are three main reasons for this systemic underestimation. The first reflects the legacy of suicide as a criminal offence, resulting in the highest standard of proof for findings of suicide in the UK, and a continuing stigma attached to families of the deceased. The second is the considerable pressure brought to bear upon coroners by the family of the deceased, who, because of that stigma, commonly agitate for any finding other than that of suicide. The third involves the rise of ‘therapeutic jurisprudence’, wherein coroners take on the responsibility of the emotional well-being of the grieving families, which in turn affects the likelihood of reaching a finding of suicide. The conclusions drawn by the paper are also twofold: first – with respect to the stigma of suicide – it will take a lot more than simple decriminalisation to change deeply held social perceptions within the community. Second, given that suicide prevention programmes and policies are based on such deeply questionable statistics, targeted changes to coronial legislation and practice would appear to be required.

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“…The accuracy and quality of coronial data have been the subject of ongoing debate with researchers claiming significant underestimations in suicide deaths [72]. The range and quality of coronial data due to missing data from many case reports also varies across jurisdictions.…”

Section: Strengths and Limitations Of The Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking Suicide in Rural Australia: A study Protocol for Examining and Applying Knowledge of the Social Determinants to Improve Prevention in Non-Indigenous Populations

Fitzpatrick

Brew

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et al. 2019

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Disproportionate rates of suicide in rural Australia in comparison to metropolitan areas pose a significant public health challenge. The dynamic interrelationship between mental and physical health, social determinants, and suicide in rural Australia is widely acknowledged. Advancement of this knowledge, however, remains hampered by a lack of adequate theory and methods to understand how these factors interact, and the translation of this knowledge into constructive strategies and solutions. This paper presents a protocol for generating a comprehensive dataset of suicide deaths and factors related to suicide in rural Australia, and for building a program of research to improve suicide prevention policy and practice to better address the social determinants of suicide in non-indigenous populations. The two-phased study will use a mixed-methods design informed by intersectionality theory. Phase One will extract, code, and analyse quantitative and qualitative data on suicide in regional and remote Australia from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). Phase Two will analyse suicide prevention at three interrelated domains: policy, practice, and research, to examine alignment with evidence generated in Phase One. Findings from Phase One and Two will then be integrated to identify key points in suicide prevention policy and practice where action can be initiated.

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Problems with the coronial determination of ‘suicide’

Cited by 14 publications

References 23 publications

Coronial Practice, Indigeneity and Suicide

Coronial Practice, Indigeneity and Suicide

The continuing implications of the ‘crime’ of suicide: a brief history of the present

Rethinking Suicide in Rural Australia: A study Protocol for Examining and Applying Knowledge of the Social Determinants to Improve Prevention in Non-Indigenous Populations

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