Analysis of Custodial deaths in Western Odisha

Abstract

Background: Death in custody is often associated with allegations of physical abuse by the police or jail authorities. Questions are always raised about violation of fundamental rights of a prisoner. Aims: To study different epidemiological and medico legal aspects of custodial deaths. Material And Methods: This is a öve year retrospective study based on medicolegal records of custodial deaths. Result: All the cases were male. As per manner of death 86.5% of cases were natural deaths while 13.5% of cases died due to unnatural causes. Age group of these cases were between 19 to 90 years. Maximum number of cases (29.8%) is between 51-60 years. Majority of deaths occurred in the hospital accounting for 97.29% of cases except one hanging death which occurred in police station. Majority of cases (91.9%) were in jail custody. In this study most common cause of death is chronic kidney disease which is found in 21.6% of cases. With respect to conviction status, 78.4% of cases were under trial prisoners while rest 21.6% were convicted. Conclusion: Majority of deaths occurred due to natural causes. Proper care should be taken to reduce morbidity and mortality of prisoners.