Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Wayne Bergeron
Second Advisor
Quinn Gordon
Third Advisor
Suzanna Taylor
Abstract
The present study investigated the perceived quality of homicide evidence provided to law enforcement by the coroner versus medical examiner systems. Respondents (N=15) from county law enforcement agencies in three different Southeastern states that utilize either the coroner, medical examiner, or combination of both systems were presented with a 17-question virtual survey that included questions regarding personal background, educational background, employment history, knowledge of the medical examiner versus coroner systems, and personal experience with one or both systems involving homicide investigations. Participants who resided in the state that utilizes the medical examiner system reported mostly negative feedback regarding the collection, preservation, and recording of homicide-related evidence from their respective medical examiner. Furthermore, the feedback reported from participants who interacted with the coroner system was almost entirely positive. Given the size of the United States compared to the sample size of this study, more research is needed to better understand the overall differences in the quality of evidence provided to law enforcement by the coroner versus medical examiner systems.
Recommended Citation
Calloway, Reilly, "A Comparative Analysis of the Quality of Homicide Evidence Provided to Law Enforcement" (2023). Theses. 2.
https://roar.una.edu/theses/2
