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Neck Holds

  • Chapter
Sudden Deaths in Custody

Part of the book series: Forensic Science and Medicine ((FSM))

Abstract

The neck hold is a restraint technique in which a person is restrained by use of a hold that employs manipulation of the neck. Neck holds have been used extensively by law enforcement personnel for physically restraining and gaining control of violent subjects. Choke holds and carotid sleeper holds are types of neck holds that have been employed by law enforcement. Neck holds utilize the mechanism of temporarily disrupting the blood flow to the brain and rendering the subject unconscious. Additionally, neck holds have been used for decades in the sport of judo with tremendous safety. Occasionally, deaths have occurred during or just after the application of a neck hold and the etiology of the death is often attributed to the actual maneuver itself. In these cases, careful examination must be given to the type of hold, the application, surrounding circumstances, and the associated physical findings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA

    Gary M. Vilke MD (Professor of Clinical Medicine)

Authors
  1. Gary M. Vilke MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminal Justice, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

    Darrell L. Ross PhD

  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA

    Theodore C. Chan MD

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© 2006 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Vilke, G.M. (2006). Neck Holds. In: Ross, D.L., Chan, T.C. (eds) Sudden Deaths in Custody. Forensic Science and Medicine. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-015-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-015-7_3

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-475-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-015-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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