Reframing Death Care: Post-Mortem Imaging, Law, and the Future of Compassionate Coronial Investigation in the England and Wales

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-555-3_2How to use a DOI?

Keywords

post-mortem CT; coronial law; forensic radiology; death care reform; bereavement; public health ethics

Abstract

The investigation of death in England and Wales is defined by a paradox: a coronial system rooted in medieval law now tasked with managing twenty-first-century public expectations of transparency, accuracy, and compassion. Despite remarkable technological progress in medical imaging, the regulation of death investigation has lagged behind. Post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) offers a validated, dignified, and efficient alternative to invasive autopsy, yet remains governed by inconsistent practice and policy inertia. This paper explores how radiological innovation, when combined with ethical and legal reform, could humanise coronial investigation while strengthening justice and public health. Drawing upon recent studies, including the Fuller Inquiry (2025), the Voicing Loss (2024) research, and peer-reviewed PMCT service evaluations (Clinical Radiology 2023; BJR Open 2024), it argues that death care should be held to the same evidential and compassionate standards as health care. The author proposes a national PMCT framework integrating training, accreditation, and governance - transforming death investigation from fragmented bureaucracy into a system of dignity, accuracy, and empathy.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Natasha Davendralingam
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/13
TI  - Reframing Death Care: Post-Mortem Imaging, Law, and the Future of Compassionate Coronial Investigation in the England and Wales
BT  - Proceeding of The Future of Life - Legal, Scientific, and Geopolitical Challenges (TFOL2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 9
EP  - 14
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-555-3_2
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-555-3_2
ID  - Davendralingam2026
ER  -