BE S T P RAC T I C E S
» » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » » »
and reporting of so many deaths is a massive undertaking that most citizens likely take for granted. Some of the deaths are the result of crime; sometimes the bodies hold the key evi- dence and must be exhumed to solve murder cases. Loose guidelines permitting hasty crema- tions are a related problem when it comes to solving a crime and perhaps bringing a murder- er to justice. Nationally, cremations comprise almost 40% of the dispositions. In Arkansas the figure is about 21% and rising. Many states have passed legislation regarding cremations to assure an opportunity to conduct a proper death investigation has been afforded prior to destruction of the body and potential evidence. Arkansas has no such law! It is estimated that by 2025 that the percentage of cremations will more than double. HB 2175 is filed by Representative Darren
Williams with the Interim House Committee on City, County and Local Affairs as Interim Study Proposal 2011-024. HB 2175 seeks to make much-needed progress in providing nec- essary in-state training, certification of coroners and deputy coroners, mass fatality and to address issues with cremations.
readiness,
Many states have passed legislation slowing hasty cremations to assure an opportunity to conduct a proper death investigation has been conducted prior to destruction of the body and potential evidence. Arkansas has no such law. Our cremation rate is at 21 percent and rising.
It is imperative we provide our coroner and deputy coroners the tools necessary to perform their statutory duties. Please contact your State
Representative and Senator and ask for their support for HB 2175.
A look at deaths, funerals and cremations in Arkansas
one of their favorite TV characters? But perhaps in keeping with our aversion to aging, and the idea of dying, we don’t enjoy looking too deeply into the business of death. And when it comes to the work of our local coroners, we don’t ask too many questions – perhaps assuming (wrongly!) that they all have Abby’s tools, training and resources. Te truth is, training and equip- ment are generally less than “state of the art”. Arkansas Coroners, currently doing their best with very limited resources, would benefit tremendously from a modest baseline for in-state training. Tis is especially true as the popularity of cremation increases.
M Dr. William L. Mason, Branch Chief / Preparedness and Emer-
gency Response, and Associate Director for Science at the Arkansas Department of Health’s Center for Health Protection, provided AAC with some enlightening statistics on a dark subject – deaths in Arkansas.
Arkansas Statistics: 27,901 deaths per year. Tat’s 76.44 people
per day, or 3.185 people per hour. Cremations also are increasing each year. It’s around 21 percent
in Arkansas. Cremations in northern states are higher, but southern states are having a lot more cremations in recent years. In the 1950s, 4 percent of bodies were cremated. In 2007, the cremation increased
COUNTY LINES, SUMMER 2011
ost of us enjoy a little death and mayhem – when it is confined to movies and television shows like CSI New York. Who doesn’t count Goth forensic expert “Abby” as
to 35 percent of funerals nationally. By 2025 they are projected to increase by 59 percent. Dr. Mason says he knows of only two or three home burials each
year. “It’s possible there are a few more where I’m not contacted, but these are rare.” Some of the unknown or “Pending” dispositions may be where a “John Doe” is at the Medical Examiner’s office or at a Cor- oner’s office, and they are holding the body since no one will claim it. Te death certificate still must be filed, so disposition will be “Other” and “Pending” will be written on the specify line for “Other”. Removal from State usually means the body is removed from
Arkansas and then buried or cremated in another state. In a few cases it will mean something else will be done to the body, per that state’s law. For example, cryogenics. Also, some states have “green” cem- eteries, where the body is placed upon the ground somewhere within the cemetery and allowed to naturally decay. “I believe a few states may allow Native Americans to burn the body per their culture,” said Dr. Mason. “Tere’s also buried at sea. And there’s a process where cremains are shot into space, but the disposition on these would be cremation,” he noted. A few of the “Pending” dispositions could be where family is bick- ering, and the funeral director is stuck in the middle. Tis happened with the famous baseball player, Ted Williams. If a funeral director files a certificate like this, hopefully s/he will correct it in the future once the family has decided on final disposition, said Dr. Mason. Nationwide, it is expected that cremations will increase to 38% by 2010 and to 51% by 2025.
19
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64