Forensic Medicine & Health Law

The UMJ Unit) was created to meet the needs of the judicial authorities (magistrates and criminal investigators) . It provides medical information necessary for the conduct of proceedings.

Its missions are:

• to ensure the examination of victims (carrying out medical findings, issuing required certificates) and the necessary forensic samples, by developing a welcoming environment, providing quality care and, if necessary, referring them to other professionals who can take over,
• to promote support for victims by offering them psychological support and informing them of their rights,
• to ensure examinations for persons placed in police custody (medical findings, assessment of necessary care) and the necessary forensic sampling,
• to ensure the safekeeping of records and samples under the best possible security conditions.

The organization of the UMJ allows for:

• to ensure consultations for the examination of victims within the framework of scheduled consultations, and this within a period of less than 72 hours,

to respond 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to requests for examinations of persons in custody (GAV) and victims in emergencies (sexual assaults, victims under chemical submission and in some cases for the needs of the criminal procedure) .

Medical practice and the relationship between caregivers, patients, and their families are increasingly impacted by major debates surrounding bioethical and medical ethics issues (patient rights, management of suffering, acceptance of disability, parental projects, end-of-life decisions, organ donation, participation in biomedical research, predictive medicine, etc.) ; these debates often revolve around legal rules and standards (the law of March 4th relating to patients' rights, so-called bioethics laws, the law on end-of-life care, the law on abortion, the law on research, etc.).

It is important that the public, users of the healthcare system, and professionals in these fields have access to advice, opinions, and expertise in these areas. This service is available to everyone, in partnership with the Normandy Regional Ethics Center .

Anyone can contact him for documentation, clarification, or advice. Training programs on these topics, as well as conferences and public debates, may also be offered.

The EREN aims to foster and coordinate ethical initiatives in the life sciences and health sectors in Normandy.
This regional ethics reflection space is the result of personal and institutional commitments, and all individuals, institutions, and associations involved in care and health in the region are invited to contribute to its creation and participate in its development, including users as well as healthcare and social care professionals, medical and paramedical professionals, teachers of medical disciplines, law, and humanities, researchers, representatives of associations, etc.

Thanatological forensic medicine covers, at the request of the judicial authorities, external examinations of corpses, medico-legal autopsies, post-mortem sampling, post-mortem radiographs, bone examinations, which are carried out at the University Hospital, but also body removals (examinations of corpses in situ at the place of their discovery) .

For body removals, the forensic doctors at the University Hospital can be called upon for suspicious deaths in the Caen area and for criminal deaths in the Normandy region.

The mortuary is a unit of the hospital where people who have died in the establishment or those who need to be taken care of by the forensic institute are received; this place is also intended for the families and relatives of the deceased, so that they can have the time necessary to organize the funeral.

The mortuary is the responsibility of the University Hospital and not of external funeral services. It is part of the public service.

It includes an area for relatives and a technical area reserved for professionals.

The conditions for depositing bodies in the mortuary are strictly regulated and adhere to essential ethical principles for respecting the deceased. The bodies of deceased persons may remain there until they are placed in a coffin; this must be carried out within legal timeframes (the body of the deceased may not remain for more than 6 days after death. The maximum tolerated period is 10 days for bodies unclaimed by their family, beyond which the hospital is obligated to arrange for the burial) .

The organization within the mortuary allows for contemplation and farewell, respecting the rites and beliefs of each individual; and in compliance with current regulations.

The mission of professionals working in this sector is to inform about the procedures, to support and to make this often dreaded moment less painful.