Discipline or Child Abuse? Many experts are asked to answer this question when they are retained on child abuse cases. It is not as black and white as one might think. Corporal punishment is defined…
Traumatic Brain Injury in Criminal Cases After Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), people can experience personality changes, social anxiety, irritability, anger, depression, general anxiety, mood swings, emotional lability, and feelings of being overwhelmed. The bottom line…
How Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Relate to Criminal Behavior This article is the first in a series about the effects of stressful and traumatic events in a child’s life and its relationship to the likelihood…
Alternative Light Sources and Their Effectiveness in Enhancing the Visibility of Injuries History of ALS A fairly new science has emerged within the past 70 years regarding the use of alternative light sources (ALS) to…
TBI and Mental Illness What if a defendant commits a crime because of being affected by either an acute brain injury or an acquired or inherited brain disease? This is called the “brain defense.” In…
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic people have been told to stay at home for their own safety and the safety of others. Could there be a higher risk of abuse? What about those…
Methamphetamine Usage Methamphetamine (meth) is a widely used, powerful stimulant which acts upon the central nervous system. Other names for meth include speed, crank, ice, crystal, and glass. It gives the user a sense of…
What is a pathological fracture? Spinal cord injuries cause life-altering paralysis of the limbs and place the patient at risk for long term complications, including pathological fractures. A pathological fracture is a broken bone that…
What Affects the Appearance of a Bruise? Bruising is one of the most common types of physical injury observed in victims of violence, assault, and abuse. There are several factors that affect a bruise’s appearance,…
PHYSICAL SIGNS OF ABUSE When searching “physical signs of abuse,” many journals and websites list the following physical characteristics: Bruises Cuts Burns Restraint or grip markings Black eyes Unusual pattern of injury Repeated trips to…
Ultraviolet Radiation and Forensics In forensics, ultraviolet radiation is used to enhance injuries of the skin. It has been reported that ultraviolet radiation can help visualize an old bruise and can also estimate the shape…
Those of you who follow me know I have several posts about how you can’t date bruises by color, but there is emerging literature to show that bruises can be dated on tissue analysis: How…
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