Addressing Structural Violence in Eastern Nebraska Through the Assessment of Mortality Profiles

Authors

Victoria M. Pate, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

William R. Belcher

Committee Members

LuAnn Wandsnider, Elizabeth Clausing

Date of this Version

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Major: Anthropology

Under the supervision of Professor William R. Blecher

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Victoria M. Pate. Used by permission

Abstract

Humanitarian forensics has recently expanded to include the examination of forensic casework demographics within the medicolegal community. Additionally, it is proposed that research and data collection should look beyond the individual case report to address public health, crime vulnerabilities, and marginalization at local and national levels to advocate for policy changes protecting against institutionalized violence. With the utilization of quantitative and qualitative methods, 294 case reports provided by Nebraska police departments, between the years of 2014-2024, were analyzed to conceptualize mortality vulnerabilities and the ways in which forensic anthropologists can aid in community action. Pearson’s Chi-Square and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests were conducted to assess the correlation between the biological profile, and trauma type, to discuss the applicability of a structural vulnerability profile (SVP) in forensic casework. General trends within the data were also examined with the use of proportional statistics, specifically analyzing population census data for the living and deceased in Eastern Nebraska, and block location for each trauma incident, to further investigate patterns within the mortality profiles. For the purposes of this study, the biological profile included age, sex, and population affinity. Trauma type was classified as either blunt force, sharp force, or projectile trauma. Additionally, generalized block locations were used to maintain anonymity as to where each trauma incident occurred. Lastly, poverty maps created by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for the state of Nebraska, were compared to the block locations of each trauma incident to further discuss public health, socioeconomic status, and the relationship between these factors to mortality vulnerabilities. Overall, the results of the Chi-Square analysis and ANOVA presented significant patterns within the mortality profiles that need to be further investigated. This study exemplifies an attempt to understand the extrinsic and intrinsic nuances of a case report and is a preliminary investigation of how the SVP can be analyzed within casework demographics. This study cautions against solely isolating osteobiographical data to discuss the SVP, without the inclusion of historical, cultural, and ethnographic data to support findings, as to not misrepresent decedents or further marginalization. Future research will expand upon these principles.

Advisor: William R. Belcher