Ian Kevin Ramdhanie
M.Sc., Principal, Caribbean Institute for Security and Public Safety
Having to deal with dead persons as your job can’t be an easy thing for the average medical doctor and more so an average person. Cutting your way through corpses and digging into flesh, muscles and bones that are in several stages of decomposition calls for ‘real belly’ using our local parlance. But why do persons still choose to become a forensic pathologist?
Medical students are exposed to many training areas. Many choose to specialise after. But why do some choose forensic pathology, a field that requires ‘real belly’? While other medical practitioners’ jobs are to save lives, a forensic pathologist becomes functional when a person is dead. He/she is now tasked to determine the cause(s) of death in this medicolegal investigative field.
With regard to cause of death (e.g., if a person dies suddenly or violently), a forensic pathologist determines two facts – (1) what was the ultimate and immediate reason for the cessation of life and (2) with regard to manner of death, was the death due to homicide, suicide, accident, natural or is it unknown.
A forensic pathologist’s work is extremely important to the criminal justice system. There is a clear connection among the forensic pathologist, the dead person, witnesses, lab tests, police and the courts. So critical is the work and findings of a forensic pathologist that it can lead to a person being labelled murdered or died of natural courses. This has consequences for someone being convicted of a crime or acquitted. It literally means life or death for an accused person if the death penalty is law in a particular jurisdiction.
A forensic pathologist, therefore, has to perform his/her tasks with extreme accuracy and without external pressure. However, the facts must speak for themselves and the forensic pathologist must have that confidence to stand up for he/she found scientifically. Such pressures usually come with high profiled cases or those that are in the public domain. Thus, a forensic pathologist also has to know how to deal with these matters where more ‘belly’ is needed here again.
A couple of weeks ago in Trinidad and Tobago, Brian Smith’s body was found in the sea. It was referred to the Forensic Science Centre to determine the cause and manner of death. To date, two autopsies were conducted with conflicting findings. It was reported that a third autopsy was to be requested. Were all of the steps to be done by a forensic pathologist followed? The following are some of the general tasks that a forensic pathologist should perform to determine manner and cause of death:
1. Examine the medical history of the person.
2. Evaluate the various evidence from the crime scene.
3. Evaluate witnesses’ statements in line with evidence.
4. Perform an autopsy to uncover further evidence of injuries and/or diseases.
5. Obtain medical and trace evidence from the body for further analyses.
6. Consult specialised knowledge and training in the areas of toxicology, firearms / ballistics, trace evidence, blood analysis, DNA, etc. that are applicable.
7. Ensure that procedures regarding evidence collection are followed.
8. Coordinate their work with that of police operations.
Given that there were differing findings from two forensic pathologists in Smith’s case, how thorough were their works? Did one focus more on some aspects and lesser on others? One wonders which forensic pathologist(s) report(s) will the police service, director of public prosecutions, courts, jury if applicable, receive and use in their deliberations?
A forensic pathologist usually goes through specialised training after regular medical school. This takes well over ten years of college or university study and training. But it will not prepare him/her for the smell that comes with their work. However, they do get accustom to it. The public gets a quick view of what the job usually entails by watching popular television shows like CSI, NCIS and Bones. Medical doctors without ‘belly’ shy away from such a career specialisation.
A significant part of the work of a forensic scientist involves writing reports and making court appearances to testify. Therefore, young people desiring a career in forensic pathology in addition to studying biology, physics, chemistry, psychology and anthropology will also need good communication skills. Other qualitative skills-sets required are having a thick skin, having the mind of a detective, and of course, having people skills to deal with families of dead persons to explain the cause of death and help bring some level of closure.
Over the years, it has been reported in Trinidad and Tobago that there is a shortage of forensic pathologists and the current ones are overworked. Can we say that this overload contributes to poor work performances? Can this lead to erroneous findings? What then are the implications for our criminal justice system? If this situation needs fixing, let’s do it now.
Lastly, to be a forensic pathologist is no cheap investment. One may have to ‘band their belly’ to fulfil their dreams.
The Caribbean Institute for Security and Public Safety conducts a range of training programmes for organizations and individuals in the fields of law enforcement, security, corrections, OSH/HSE, supervision and management. Conduct us at 223-6999, 223-6968, info@caribbeansecurityinstitute.com, www.caribbeansecurityinstitute.com
