{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T12:14:32Z","timestamp":1783599272071,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,6]],"date-time":"2026-07-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783296000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"name":"Danish Victims Fund","award":["21-610-00133"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["21-610-00133"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Med Sci Law"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In child physical abuse cases, a clinical forensic medical examination (CFME) is performed to document medical evidence, such as lesions and scars. In Denmark, however, not all cases are referred by the police to a CFME, and we aimed to study the key characteristics of police reported cases of child physical abuse (N\u2009=\u2009136, ages 4\u201317 years) \u2013 case context, the child's disclosure and sociodemographic factors \u2013 that could influence the police's selection process. Associations between case characteristics and CFME referrals were studied using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models, which were supported by age- and sex-matched conditional logistic regression models. CFME referrals were found to be less common for cases with children from a low socioeconomic status family or with previously reported concerns (such as a report to the social services), and more common when the violence endured by children involved punching\/striking of limbs or left visible marks. Moreover, the number of victims in a sibship seemed to be associated with CFME referrals. Referrals were not influenced by parents\u2019 origin or the suspect\u2013child relationship. A biased referral process may lead to unequal case handling and undermine the rule of law. By identifying the characteristics relevant to this process, we aimed to contribute to a systematic and consistent approach to case management. Future qualitative interview studies with police officers and prosecutors and studies focused on larger populations can offer further valuable insights into the selection process.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/00258024261466036","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,6]],"date-time":"2026-07-06T12:15:46Z","timestamp":1783340146000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Characteristics of child physical abuse cases that are referred by the police for a clinical forensic medical examination"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-0633-148X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Liselott","family":"Slot","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9357-6337","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniella","family":"Justesen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0565-0566","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lykke","family":"Thorlacius-Ussing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7172-4186","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anne Birgitte Dyhre","family":"Bugge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7771-5376","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Niels","family":"Lynnerup","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7559-1285","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jytte","family":"Banner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5229-7502","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carl Johan","family":"Wingren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Section of Forensic Pathology, Department of Forensic Medicine, Copenhagen, Denmark"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","unstructured":"Folketinget [Danish Parliament]. Forlag til lov om \u00e6ndring af lov om for\u00e6ldremyndighed og samv\u00e6r (Afskaffelse af revselsesretten). [Proposal to Amend the Danish Act on Parental Authority (Elimination of the Right to Corporal Punishment)]. L 213 Parliamentary Year 1996\/97 www.retsinformation.dk\/eli\/ft\/199612K00213."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","unstructured":"B\u00f8rns Vilk\u00e5r. Vold mod b\u00f8rn i Danmark 2025 [Violence against children in Denmark 2025] bornsvilkar.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Vold-mod-boern-i-Danmark-2025_web.pdf (2025 accessed 9 August 2025)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/15248380231179133"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(08)61706-7"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","unstructured":"Rigsadvokaten [Director of Public Prosecutions]. Rigsadvokatmeddelelsen afsnittet: Videoafh\u00f8ring af b\u00f8rn [Notice from the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding video-recorded interviews with children] www.retsinformation.dk\/eli\/retsinfo\/2024\/9963 (2024)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","unstructured":"Rigsadvokaten [Director of Public Prosecutions]. Rigsadvokatmeddelelsen afsnittet: Vold mod b\u00f8rn (\u00a7\u00a7 244-246) [Notice from the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding violence against children (\u00a7\u00a7 244\u2013246)] www.retsinformation.dk\/eli\/retsinfo\/2022\/9531 (2022)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0025802419898338"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/00258024251348728"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","unstructured":"Spitz P Banner J Belling B. Systematic forensic medical screening of children in cases of suspected physical violence retsmedicin.ku.dk\/english\/pdf-files_uk_samle\/The_evaluation_report_Forensic_Medical_Screening_of_Children_in_Cases_of_Suspected_Physical_Violence_2022.pdf (2022 accessed 9 August 2025)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","article-title":"Age differences in the prosecution of child abuse cases","volume":"71","author":"Eg M","year":"2024","unstructured":"Eg M, Gr\u00e6sholt-Knudsen T, Madsen K, et al. Age differences in the prosecution of child abuse cases. Dan Med J 2024; 71: A07230437.","journal-title":"Dan Med J"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","unstructured":"Socialstyrelsen. \u00c5rsstatistik om de danske b\u00f8rnehuse 2019 [Annual statistics on the Danish Children\u2019s Advocacy Centres 2019]. Odense www.sbst.dk\/udgivelser\/2020\/aarsstatistik-om-de-danske-boernehuse-2019 (2020 accessed 6 August 2025)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/apa.12399"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chiabu.2007.04.006"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","unstructured":"Danmarks Statistik [Statistics Denmark] www.dst.dk (accessed 2 September 2025)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","unstructured":"Danmarks Statistik [Statistics Denmark]. Befolkningen 1. januar efter byomr\u00e5der og landdistrikter alder og tid [Children on January 1st by geographical area age group and year] www.dst.dk (accessed 14 February 2026)."},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0330601"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chiabu.2024.107240"}],"container-title":["Medicine, Science and the Law"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00258024261466036","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/00258024261466036","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/00258024261466036","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T11:18:38Z","timestamp":1783595918000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/00258024261466036"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,6]]},"references-count":17,"alternative-id":["10.1177\/00258024261466036"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/00258024261466036","relation":{},"ISSN":["0025-8024","2042-1818"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0025-8024","type":"print"},{"value":"2042-1818","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,6]]},"article-number":"00258024261466036"}}