Factors Associated with the Low Uptake of Quality Medico-Legal Services at Secured Diagnostic Crime Scene, Western Kenya | Chapter 3 | Current Progress in Arts and Social Studies Research Vol. 8

Global, regionally in Sub-Saharan Africa, and most parts of Kenya, Population Health continues to suffer significantly from a number of challenges associated with evidence contamination at the crime of scene in the forensic science ecosystem, thus remaining, inadmissible before the court of jurisprudence. These, continue to pose major challenges among the various forensic science ecosystem and associated next of kin, looking for quality forensic services in the ecosystem.  Secured diagnostic crime scene requires (existing valued history, visible evidence and victim intact surface anatomical structures), which most forensic service providers may ignore in providing SMART admissible evidence as opined in many cases, of varying geographical features in the forensic sciences ecosystem and prevailing surface anatomical planes on the victims at period of time. Hence, they provide evidence based on unguided current events on the victim, with limited reconstruction of evidence contents. The continued contamination of valuable medico-legal evidence renders most of the forensic case evidence inadmissible. It was these reasons that led to the study of factors associated with the low uptake of quality medico-legal services at secured diagnostic crime scenes in Western Kenya. Specifically, by determining the traditional norms of the forensic science ecosystem in the investigations of medico-legal cases, evaluating key pillars that enable accessibility and affordable medico-legal services using police signals number 7 and 8. Lastly evaluating the role of next of kin in the increased evidence contamination at the diagnostic crime of scene to enable admissible evidence before the court. Prolonged failures to utilize quality standards on evidence reconstruction have ignited severe criticism like failure to contain chain of custody on secured evidence and to remain traceable. The study exploited descriptive, cross-sectional, and triangulation designs. The sampling technique included purposive census and snowball sampling techniques. The research tools and instruments utilized included a semi-structured questionnaire, key informant interview and focus group discussion guides on forensic service providers. Using, a sample size of 133 respondents, the result showed that in the majority of evidence, 84% (166) respondents are contaminated at diagnostic tingle crime scenes limited deployment of integrated forensic service provides a period of time to collect integrated trace evidence at the scene. This remains harmful to population health, with relative (RR, 2.45, 1) with OR (1). Community participation in medicolegal service remains skewed at 31% (41), compared to clinical autopsy. The result also opined majority of mortuary service providers, 93% (124), had no formal education compared to those trained, and permanently employed, 7% (9) Relative risks of (0.34, 2.22) of protective relation, due to containing in house training of mortuary service providers. An odd ratio of (1.5) signifies a harmful association with the health population. The study revealed that the majority, over 85% (113) service providers, do not have ideas on witness grant immunity with OR (3.6) signifying harmful association. Thus, a timely need to promote an integrated forensic science ecosystem, under one management as a cradle intervention to scale up the forensic sciences ecosystem and turnaround time in collecting trace evidence at diagnostic crime scène more efficiently to enable justice to affected community households, under one roof management.

 

Author (s) Details

Maurice B. Silali
Department of Public Health, Mount Kigali University, Rwanda.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/cpassr/v8/3458