Natural Deaths in Custody: A 10 Year Mortality Study

Death in custody is usually associated with apprehension and community concern, and raises the suspicion of violation of human rights. Studies conducted in few countries have shown that people in custody have increased rate of morbidity and mortality than those not in custody. Many of these deaths are premature deaths and can be prevented with proper care and treatment. The present postmortem examination based retrospective study was undertaken to examine natural deaths in custody and provide mortality pattern in this population. A total 165 autopsies were performed during the 10 year period out of which 142 (86.06%) cases were of natural deaths. The study population consists of 138 (97.18%) males and 4 (2.81%) females and their age ranged from 21 to 78 years (mean age 46.80 years). It was noted that most common cause of death was diseases of the respiratory system (40.8%) followed by cardiovascular system (19.01%).