Managing the homicide-suicide inquest the practices of coroners in one region of England and Wales

• An exploratory study of the work of Coroners in one region of England and Wales, focusing on their management of the homicide-suicide inquest.
• Reveals that Coroners, who are first and foremost judges, are nevertheless sensitive and compassionate in their dealings with bereaved relatives.
• Coroners use their own staff and sometimes other agencies, in order to provide bereaved families with the support that they need during the process of an inquest.

This exploratory study examines the practices of Coroners in one region of England and Wales in the management of the homicide-suicide inquest. It reveals that Coroners have well developed abilities in recognizing the needs of bereaved family members and a range of techniques in responding to these. The study shows that Coroners are skilled in managing the intersecting and yet sometimes opposing agendas that are present at an inquest, where a group of both lay and professional people come together to answer the question of how an individual (or individuals) has met their death. First and foremost judges who are legally trained, most Coroners nonetheless show considerable awareness of the issues faced by the bereaved families who come before them, and together with a range of their own staff and members of other agencies, put in place a range of supports to assist family members to cope with the inquest.