Reframing Death Care: Post-Mortem Imaging, Law, and the Future of Compassionate Coronial Investigation in the England and Wales

The investigation of death in England and Wales is defined by a paradox: a coronial system rooted in medieval law now tasked with managing twenty-first-century public expectations of transparency, accuracy, and compassion.Despite remarkable technological progress in medical imaging, the regulation of death investigation has lagged behind.Post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) offers a validated, dignified, and efficient alternative to invasive autopsy, yet remains governed by inconsistent practice and policy inertia.This paper explores how radiological innovation, when combined with ethical and legal reform, could humanise coronial investigation while strengthening justice and public health.Drawing upon recent studies, including the Fuller Inquiry (2025), the Voicing Loss (2024) research, and peer-reviewed PMCT service evaluations (Clinical Radiology 2023; BJR Open 2024), it argues that death care should be held to the same evidential and compassionate standards as health care.The author proposes a national PMCT framework integrating training, accreditation, and governance -transforming death investigation from fragmented bureaucracy into a system of dignity, accuracy, and empathy.