Maryland Violent Death
Reporting System (MVDRS):
Using Data to Tell Victims’
Stories
Thomas Manion, M.A.
Project Coordinator, MVDRS
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
A “National” System for
Violence Prevention
2002 – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Public health approach to violence prevention
• National system with state-level components
• Five states funded initially (including Maryland)
Currently Funded States
Maryland’s System:
MVDRS
• Maryland Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene
• First Data Collection Year: 2003
• Data available through 2010
MVDRS Mission:
1.
Maintain detailed body of information on
Maryland violent deaths
2.
Promote greater scientific understanding of
violence
3.
Encourage the development of effective violent
death prevention and intervention strategies
What constitutes a
violent death?
“A death resulting from the intentional use of
physical force or power* against oneself,
another person, or group.”
*Includes poisons/drugs
Manners of Death
Evaluated
• Homicide
• Suicide
• Death of Undetermined Intent
• Accidental (ONLY if firearm-related)
As ruled by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland
Where does our data
come from?
Medical Examiner
Reports (OCME)
Death Certificates
(MD Vital Statistics)
MVDRS
Police Reports
(State and Local
Law Enforcement)
Data Collected
• Victim/Suspect demographics
• Victim/Suspect relationship (if applicable)
• Victim’s marital status, education, current occupation
• Time, date, location of injury
• Weapon and wound details
• Toxicology
• Precipitating Circumstances
• Narratives
MVDRS
Database
What sets MVDRS data
apart?
• Unprecedented level of detail
• Precipitating circumstances
• In-depth narratives
Our Philosophy on
Violent Death
1.) Every victim has a story
2.) Prevention should be grounded in
scientific research
Stories
Data
Trends
Prevention
Limitations
• NO data on Maryland residents injured out of state
• Data Collection Timeline
• 1-2 year lag between death and inclusion in
MVDRS
MVDRS Data Highlights
2010
*All rates are crude
rates per 100,000
population
*
Violent Death Overview
1,427 violent deaths = 24.7 per 100,000
• Male rate (39) more than triple the female rate
(11.3)
• Age 25-29 had the highest age-specific rate
(44.5)
Manner of Death
Homicide Overview
389 deaths = 6.7 per 100,000
•Nearly half of victims
were Baltimore residents
•Nearly 80% of homicide
victims were black
•Most common location of
injury was a
street/sidewalk/alley
(40.6%)
Homicide: Residential County
Homicide: Cause of Death
Homicide : Circumstantial Data
Most common precipitating circumstances:
• Argument/Conflict
• Precipitated by another crime
• Drug involvement
• Intimate partner violence
Suicide Overview
481 deaths = 8.3 per 100,000
• Age groups with the highest rates were 45-54
(13.7), 75-84 (11.2) and 55-64 (11.2)
• Harford County had the highest suicide rate
(11.4)
• Veterans accounted for nearly 18% of suicides
(all males)
Suicide: Injury Location
Suicide: Cause of Death
Suicide: Circumstantial Data
Most common precipitating circumstances:
• Current mental health diagnosis
• Disclosed intent/suicidal ideations
• Intimate partner problem
• Physical health problem
• Job problem
• Financial problem
Suicide: Circumstantial Data
• Only 55% of victims with a current mental
health diagnosis were currently being treated
• Female victims were significantly more likely
than males to have a history of suicide
attempts (37.8% vs 18.6%)
• 35.7% of victims left a suicide note
Recent Publication
• Suicidology Online, vol. 3, pp. 131-137
• Comparison of Maryland suicide deaths by
victim age
• Cumulative data 2003-2009
Recent Publication
Four Age Groups:
• Youth (19 and younger)
• Young Adult (20-34)
• Middle Aged (35-64)
• Elder (65 and older)
Conclusions
• MVDRS as a source of violent death data
• Circumstances, special populations
• Focused prevention efforts
• By Age?
Thomas Manion
Project Coordinator
Maryland Violent Death Reporting System
Maryland Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene
Thomas.Manion@maryland.gov
410-767-5744