title: Judicial outcomes of child abuse homicide.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether convictions and sentencing differ between child abuse homicide cases and adult homicide cases and to identify characteristics of the victim, suspect, or crime that influence conviction and sentencing results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective case review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Homicide data abstracted from the National Violent Death Reporting System in Utah.
  
  
  METHODS
  All deaths classified as homicide in Utah between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2007.
  
  
  METHODS
  Judicial processing of homicide cases for conviction and sentencing results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Conviction rate, level of felony conviction, and severity of sentencing for suspects of child abuse homicide vs adult homicide.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Utah had 373 homicide victims during the study period; 52 cases were child abuse homicide. Among 211 homicide cases with an identified suspect, conviction rates for child abuse homicide (88.2%) and adult homicide (83.0%) were similar (risk ratio, 1.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.8-1.4). There were no significant differences in level of felony conviction (adjusted risk ratio, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.4-1.3) or severity of sentencing (adjusted risk ratio, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.5-1.5) for suspects of child abuse homicide vs adult homicide. Among child abuse homicide cases, no demographic factor was significantly associated with felony conviction results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suspects of child abuse homicide are convicted at a rate similar to that of suspects of adult homicide and receive similar levels of felony conviction and severity of sentencing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, 295 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84158, USA. Hilary.hewes@hsc.utah.edu
authors.forename: Hilary A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Hewes
authors.forename: Heather T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Keenan
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: McDonnell
authors.forename: Nanette C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Dudley
authors.forename: Bruce E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Herman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014589:Utah