coroner coroner a coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jurisdiction. in medieval times, english coroners were crown officials who held financial powers and conducted some judicial investigations in order to counterbalance the power of sheriffs or bailiffs. depending on the jurisdiction, the coroner may adjudge the cause of death personally, or may act as the presiding officer of a special court (a "coroner's jury"). the term coroner derives from the same source as the word crown. duties and functions responsibilities of the coroner may include overseeing the investigation and certification of deaths related to mass disasters that occur within the coroner's jurisdiction. a coroner's office typically maintains death records of those who have died within the coroner's jurisdiction. the additional roles that a coroner may oversee in judicial investigations may be subject to the attainment of suitable legal and medical qualifications. the qualifications required of a coroner vary significantly between jurisdictions, and are described under the entry for each jurisdiction. coroners, medical examiners, and forensic pathologists are different professions. they have different roles and responsibilities. etymology and history the office of coroner originated in medieval england and has been adopted in many countries whose legal systems have at some time been subject to english or united kingdom law. in middle english, the word "coroner" referred to an officer of the crown, derived from the french couronne and latin corona, meaning "crown". the office of the coroner dates from approximately the 11th century, shortly after the norman conquest of england in 1066. the office of coroner was established by lex scripta in richard i's england. in september 1194, it was decreed by article 20 of the "articles of eyre" to establish the office of custos placitorum coronae (latin for "keeper of the pleas of the crown"), from which the word "coroner" is derived. this role provided a local county official whose primary duty was to protect the financial interest of the crown in criminal proceedings. the office of coroner is, "in many instances, a necessary substitute: for if the sheriff is interested in a suit, or if he is of affinity with one of the parties to a suit, the coroner must execute and return the process of the courts of justice." this role was qualified in chapter 24 of magna carta in 1215, which states: "no sheriff, constable, coroner or bailiff shall hold pleas of our crown." "keeping the pleas" was an administrative task, while "holding the pleas" was a judicial one that was not assigned to the locally resident coroner but left to judges who traveled around the country holding assize courts. the role of custos rotulorum or keeper of the county records became an independent office, which after 1836 was held by the lord-lieutenant of each county. the person who found a body from a death thought sudden or unnatural was required to raise the "hue and cry" and to notify the coroner. while coronial manuals written for sheriffs, bailiffs, justices of the peace and coroners were published in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, handbooks specifically written for coroners were distributed in england in the eighteenth century. coroners were introduced into wales following its military conquest by edward i of england in 1282 through the statute of rhuddlan in 1284. going further back in time, we find that the term comes from antiquity, namely when the deceased was entrusted to the coronator, that is to a necrofor who prepared the corpse according to custom and, among other things, put a small laurel or myrtle wreath (lat. corona or serta) on his head so that he might be accepted in glory in the afterlife. the use was already of ancient greece and see e. g. theophilus christophorus harles (bionis smyrnaei and moschi syracusani quae supersunt etc. p. 40. erlangen, 1780), who quotes euripides, clement of alexandria, chionus of heraclea and others in this regard; see also james claude upshaw downs: "the origin of official death investigation is traced to at least 44 b.c. with the greek physician antistius's examination of julius caesar (fisher 1993; gawande 2001). the history of the office of coroner extends well over a millennium and has seen major evolution etc." (coroner and medical examiner in handbook of death and dying ed. by clifton d. bryant. v. 1, p. 909. 2003.) by region australia australian coroners are responsible for investigating and determining the cause of death for those cases reported to them. in all states and territories, a coroner is a magistrate with legal training, and is attached to a local court. four states – new south wales, south australia, victoria and western australia – also have state coroners and specialised coronial courts. in tasmania, the chief magistrate also acts as the state coroner. canada the office of coroner was transplanted to canada from the british-derived system of government that existed in the land prior to 1867. because of the grafting of a multi-cultural system especially after the 1982 charter of rights and freedoms, several provinces have found it beneficial to use a de-focused "medical examiner" style of investigative reporter. in 21st-century canada the officer responsible for investigating all unnatural and natural unexpected, unexplained, or unattended deaths goes under the title "coroner" or "medical examiner" depending on location. they do not determine civil or criminal responsibility, but instead make and offer recommendations to improve public safety and prevention of death in similar circumstances. coroner or medical examiner services are under the jurisdiction of provincial or territorial governments, and in modern canada generally operate within the public safety and security or justice portfolio. these services are headed by a chief coroner (or chief medical examiner) and comprise coroners or medical examiners appointed by the executive council. the provinces of alberta, manitoba, nova scotia and newfoundland and labrador now have a medical examiner system, meaning that all death investigations are conducted by specialist physicians trained in forensic pathology, with the assistance of other medical and law enforcement personnel. all other provinces run on a coroner system. in prince edward island, and ontario, all coroners are, by law, physicians. in the other provinces and territories with a coroner system, namely british columbia, saskatchewan, quebec, new brunswick, northwest territories, nunavut, and yukon, coroners are not necessarily physicians but generally have legal, medical, or investigative backgrounds. hong kong the coroner's court is responsible to inquire into the causes and circumstances of some deaths. the coroner is a judicial officer who has the power to: grant: burial orders cremation orders waivers of autopsy autopsy orders exhumation orders orders to remove dead bodies outside hong kong order police investigations of death order inquests approve removal and use of body parts of the dead body issue certificates of fact of death the coroner makes orders after considering the pathologist's report. ireland the coroners service is a network of coroners situated across ireland, usually covering areas based on ireland's traditional counties. they are appointed by local authorities as independent experts and must be either qualified doctors or lawyers. their primary function is to investigate any sudden, unexplained, violent or unnatural death in order to allow a death certificate to be issued. any death due to unnatural causes will require an inquest to be held. new zealand two coronial services operate in new zealand. the older one deals only with deaths before midnight of 30 june 2007 that remain under investigation. the new system operates under the coroners act 2006, which: established the office of the chief coroner to provide leadership and coordination moved to a smaller number of full-time legally-qualified coroners who are judges of the coroners court ensured families are notified of significant steps in the coronial process introduced wide-ranging cultural matters to be considered in all aspects of dealing with the dead body introduced a specific regime for attention and release of body parts and body samples enhanced inquiry and inquest processes sri lanka in sri lanka, the ministry of justice appoints inquirers into sudden deaths under the code of criminal procedure to carry out an inquest into the death of a sudden, unexpected and suspicious nature. some large cities such as colombo and kandy have a city coroners' court attached to the main city hospital, with a coroner and additional coroner. overview in the united kingdom a coroner is an independent judicial office holder, appointed and paid for by the relevant local authority. the ministry of justice, which is headed by the lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice has the responsibility for the coronial law and policy only, and no operational responsibility. there are separate services for england and wales, and for northern ireland. a different system applies in scotland, which does not have a coroner service. jurisdiction the majority of deaths are not investigated by the coroner. if the deceased has been under medical care, or has been seen by a doctor within 14 days of death, then the doctor can issue a death certificate. however, if the deceased died without being seen by a doctor, or if the doctor is unwilling to make a determination, the coroner will investigate the cause and manner of death. the coroner will also investigate when a death is deemed violent or unnatural, where the cause is unknown, where a death is the result of poisoning or industrial injury, or if it occurred in police custody or prison. any person aware of a dead body lying in the district of a coroner has a duty to report it to the coroner; failure to do so is an offence. this can include bodies brought into england or wales. the coroner has a team of coroner's officers (previously often ex-police officers, but increasingly from a nursing or other paramedical background) who carry out the investigation on the coroner's behalf. a coroner's investigation may involve a simple review of the circumstances, ordering a post-mortem examination, or they may decide that an inquest is appropriate. when a person dies in the custody of the legal authorities (in police cells, or in prison), an inquest must be held. in england, inquests are usually heard without a jury (unless the coroner wants one). however, a case in which a person has died under the control of central authority must have a jury, as a check on the possible abuse of governmental power. the coroner's court is a court of law, and accordingly, the coroner may summon witnesses. those found to be lying are guilty of perjury. additional powers of the coroner may include the power of subpoena and attachment, the power of arrest, the power to administer oaths, and sequester juries of six during inquests. coroners also have a role in treasure cases. this role arose from the ancient duty of the coroner as a protector of the property of the crown. it is now contained in the treasure act 1996. this jurisdiction is no longer exercised by local coroners, but by specialist "coroners for treasure" appointed by the chief coroner. qualification to become a coroner in england and wales the applicant must be a qualified solicitor, barrister, or a fellow of the chartered institute of legal executives (cilex) with at least five years' qualified experience. this reflects the role of a coroner: to determine the cause of death of a deceased in cases where the death was sudden, unexpected, occurred abroad, was suspicious in any way, or happened while the person was under the control of central authority (e.g., in police custody). until 2013 a qualified medical practitioner could be appointed, but that is no longer possible. any medical coroner still in office will either have been appointed before 2013, or, exceptionally, will hold both medical and legal qualifications. formerly, every justice of the high court was, ex officio, a coroner for every district in england and wales. this is no longer so; there are now no ex officio coroners. a senior judge is sometimes appointed ad hoc as a deputy coroner to undertake a high-profile inquest, such as those into the deaths of diana, princess of wales and the victims of the 2005 london bombings. inquest the coroner's jurisdiction