Violence: the relation between seriousness of injury and outcome in the criminal justice system.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relation between injury severity in assault, offence seriousness, and outcome in the criminal justice system.


METHODS
Prospective random sample of 93 assault victims who attended hospital were interviewed and examined and followed through the criminal justice system. Patient and police interviews were carried out at Bristol Royal Infirmary accident and emergency and outpatient departments, wards, and in Avon police stations and criminal courts. Severity of injury (injury severity score [ISS] assessed by the major trauma outcome study group), offence seriousness (Delphi panel of criminologists), and outcome in the criminal justice system were recorded.


RESULTS
Median ISS was 4 (range 1-17). There was no significant correlation between ISS and outcome in the CJS (rs = 0.07). There was a weak correlation between offence seriousness and outcome (rs = -0.24, P = 0.019).


CONCLUSIONS
Outcome in the criminal justice system was not predictable from injury severity scores and was only weakly linked to offence seriousness. Contacts with medical services are opportunities for protecting those at risk of violence.
Shepherd
J
J
Department of Oral Surgery, Medicine and Pathology, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019548:Crime Victims; D003416:Criminal Law; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D006113:United Kingdom; D014754:Violence / Q000145:classification