General provisions of forensic identification of personality based on appearance

The need for identification arises in the process of carrying out many operational and investigative actions, during the search and detention of persons hiding from the investigation and the court, persons who fled from penal institutions, during the examination and presentation for identification, during the check on the registration of the missing and unidentified corpses, when checking identity documents, when expertly establishing the identity of the person depicted in two or more photographs.

Forensic habitoscopy is a branch of forensic technology, which includes a system of theoretical provisions on the external signs of a person and a set of methods and scientific and technical means that ensure the collection, research and use of these signs to identify a person.

Forensic habitoscopy is based on the data of anatomy, anthropology, and biology. It makes extensive use of the provisions and methods of forensic identification. The subject of the study of habitoscopy is the appearance of a person, naturally characterizing his signs of appearance, their classification and use for the purposes of identification, the methods of such identification.

The external appearance of a person is called his external appearance, which is a collection of data perceived visually. Its elements are decisive in its appearance. The concept of an element in this case is quite broad. These are individual anatomical organs (head, arm, etc.), and whole areas of the body (chest, back), and separate parts of the whole (forehead, eyes, lips, etc.), and functional manifestations, as well as clothing and others. related items.

Each element, like any property, is characterized by certain features, which in habitoscopy are subdivided into anatomical, functional, accompanying (or indirect).

Anatomical features determine gender, age, height, physique, anthropological features of appearance, structure of the body, head, face and its elements. Particular attention, naturally, is paid to the person's face as the most individualizing personality in its visual perception. The skin of the face (head), especially those that are characterized by a closely located bone-cartilaginous base of the skull, are relatively stable throughout a person's life (forehead, nose, ears, etc.) - This circumstance makes it possible to identify a person whose appearance was recorded with a significant interval in time (years, decades).

Functional signs appear in the process of human life, characterizing his motor and physiological functions (gestures, facial expressions, etc.). Among the anatomical and functional signs, there are those that are pathological forms-anomalies. Since such anomalies are of great identifying value, they are classified as special signs. Special signs can be congenital (shortened limb, birthmarks, hump, etc.) and acquired (scars, tattoos, curvature of the nasal back, etc.). For the purpose of searching from among the special, "catchy" signs can be distinguished into a separate group: relatively rare, pronounced, easy to remember.

Accompanying, or indirect, signs are signs of clothing and other items associated with this person (glasses, ring, cane, etc.). It is especially important to fix the signs of clothing when an unidentified corpse is found.

The identifying value of signs of appearance is different. It is determined by both the relative stability of the trait and the frequency of its occurrence. The most significant are anatomical features based on the osteochondral basis of the head and face. Of these, rare ones are of particular value (very large nose, very large fused eyebrows, etc.). Functional signs are easier to change, but some of them can be quite stable, due to the peculiarities of the anatomical structure (for example, lameness as a result of a shortened leg). Associated signs are widely used in the process of searching for a criminal "hot on the trail", when he is unable to change clothes. The less common a feature is, the higher its significance. Sometimes two or three special (catchy) will be enough for a search and detention.

The person being checked (sought) is identified by appearance. It can be a suspect, accused, defendant, convicted person. The following can be used as identifying objects:

a) mental psychophysiological image of the external appearance, imprinted in the memory of the victim, witness, other persons, when identification is carried out by presentation for identification;

b) material fixation of the external appearance on the photograph (s), film, videotape;

c) a verbal (verbal) description of a person's appearance with the use of a special terminology and a description system (in the forensic register, in search orientation, etc.) or in any form (protocol of interrogation of the victim, witness);

d) human remains (corpse, skeletonized corpse, skull).

The method of describing the signs of a person's appearance (method of verbal portrait)

When verbal fixation of signs of appearance, they are guided by special rules included in the method of "verbal portrait". A verbal portrait is a forensic method of describing a person's appearance using uniform terms, carried out according to a certain system for the purpose of criminal registration, search and identification of living persons and corpses.

The description rules based on the method of verbal portrait are based on the interrelated principles of consistency and completeness. The principle of consistency determines the sequence (order) of the description. The completeness principle provides for detailed characterization.

1. First, the signs that characterize the general physical elements of appearance are recorded: gender, age, nationality (anthropological type), height, physique, then anatomical signs of individual areas of the body and elements; after that - the functional signs of related items.

2. Description of signs of appearance is carried out according to the scheme "from general to particular" and "from top to bottom". At the same time, they first characterize the figure as a whole, the head as a whole, the face as a whole, its individual elements, neck, shoulders, back, chest, arms, legs.

3. Each of the anatomical elements is characterized by shape, size and position, and some by color,

3.1. When describing the shape, the names of geometric figures (round, oval, rectangular, triangular, etc.) or geometric lines (straight, convex, winding, etc.) are used.

3.2. The description of the size of the elements is not given in absolute terms, but in relation to other elements of the exterior. At the same time, they characterize its height, length, width, quantity, etc. The gradation of values \u200b\u200bis most often three-term: large, medium, small. Five-membered can also be used, with the addition: very large and very small. With seven-membered gradation add: "above average", "below average". If there are doubts about the characteristics of the size, then it is indicated in two meanings: "medium-small", "large-medium".

3.3. The position of the element is determined relative to the vertical and horizontal planes of the body (horizontal, inclined, inwardly beveled, etc.), as well as by mutual position (fused, separate).

3.4. The hair is characterized by color (black, dark blond, light blond, blond, red, gray); eyes (black, brown, gray, etc.) and sometimes skin color (very red, yellow, bluish red nose, color of a birthmark, etc.).

4. For the description, uniform terms accepted in the verbal portrait should be used, excluding discrepancy and ambiguity.

5. Anatomical features are described in relation to two angles: front view and side view (full face and right profile). In this case, the head should be in a "normal" position, when the horizontal line passes through the bridge of the nose, the outer corner of the eye and the upper third of the auricle (the so-called French anthropological horizontal). The muscles of the face should be in a calm state (without a smile, facial expressions, grimaces), there should be no cosmetics, hair removed from the forehead and ears, glasses and headwear removed (their description is given in the accompanying signs)

1. Below is a diagram of the description of external signs by the method of "verbal portrait", compiled in compliance with the above principles.

Description of anatomical features

Gender: male, female.

Age. It is established: a) according to documents, if they are not in doubt; b) "in appearance" (indicating this circumstance and within certain limits: in appearance 25-30 years old, in appearance 50-60 years old, etc.); c) according to the data of medical examination or forensic medical examination.

Nationality (type of person). In the absence of documents and other reliable information confirming the nationality of a person, it is permissible to determine the type of person. It can be an anthropological type of appearance characteristic of a particular race (European, Mongoloid, Negroid, etc.) or a comparative definition of the type in relation to our country: European type, Caucasian, Central Asian, Mongolian, etc.

Figure in general

Height is most often determined by a three-member gradation: low (for men up to 160 cm), medium (for men from 160 cm to 170 cm) and high (for men over 170 cm). Acceptable characteristic: very low, very high. If data of anthropometric measurements are available or can be obtained (medical record, etc.), then the growth is indicated in absolute terms.

The physique is characterized depending on the development of the musculoskeletal system and the degree of body fat. Distinguish physique: weak, very weak, medium, stocky, athletic. According to the degree of fatness, a person can be characterized by the following signs: thin, thin, average fatness, full (especially - very thin, very full - "obese").

Description of functional features

Posture - the usual position of the torso and head (the usual posture of a person). In this case, the position of the head relative to the body is noted (deviated to the right or left shoulder, tilted forward, thrown back), as well as the position of the body in relation to the vertical (back straight, stooped, stooped).

Gait is a set of habitual automatic movements when walking as a manifestation of a certain dynamic stereotype formed in a person. This circumstance determines the constancy of such gait elements as stride length (left, right), stride width, step angle, turn angle, feet. Therefore, when describing the gait, the step size is noted (long, short). The width of the stride (narrow or short distance of the feet, stance of the feet when walking (toes out, toes in, parallel), pace (fast, slow), appearance (gait is soft, heavy, staggering, in a wobbling, bouncing, mincing, wobbling). also lameness, dragging feet, hand position when walking (waving hands, hands in pockets, laid behind) Gait can change under the influence of diseases of the legs, nervous system, head injuries.

Gesturing is a complex of movements of the hands, shoulders (sometimes the head) of a person with which he accompanies his speech in order to give it greater expressiveness. When describing gestures, they record its pace (fast, slow), expressiveness (lively, energetic, sluggish), the nature of the gestures and their content (indicative, pictorial, etc.).

Mimicry is the movement of muscles and elements of the face that change its expression depending on the emotional state of a person or his desire. She can be very developed or not expressive. Usually, the most pronounced and familiar facial expressions are noted (raising eyebrows, biting lips, winking, etc.).

Speech - in relation to it, characterizes both data relating to speech itself and data of the speech mechanism. In the first case, the languages \u200b\u200bspoken by the person are noted, and which of them is native to him, dialect or adverb, accent ^ pronunciation features, phrases structure, use of slang words, speech contamination ("here", "understand", etc.) .).

With regard to the speech mechanism, the pace (slow, fast), character (speech is calm, excited), features of speech (bursting, lisping, nasal, etc.) are noted. The voice is characterized by timbre (bass, baritone, tenor, alto, treble), strength (weak, medium, strong) and purity (clean, hoarse, dull, hoarse).

Manners (habits) of behavior are formed in the process of human life and are expressed in the monotonous (usually automatic, uncontrolled) performance of certain actions (rubbing the palms, stroking the head, mustache, shifting from foot to foot, lighting a cigarette, greeting, etc.) ...

Description of accompanying elements and their features

This description refers to clothing, shoes, hats and items that a person usually has with him (glasses, ring, chains, pendant, etc.) In relation to clothing, its name is noted (jacket, raincoat, jacket, etc.). ), type (civilian, sports, military, uniform, etc.), style and cut (single-breasted jacket, raglan coat, hat with earflaps, etc.), color, pattern, material, condition of clothing, operational characteristics ... Other related items are described in a similar way.

Methods and means of collecting information about external signs of a person

The need to obtain and record information about signs of appearance arises in the course of forensic registration (criminal registration) of living persons and unidentified corpses; if necessary, search for persons who have committed a crime and are hiding from the investigation and court, persons who have escaped from places of detention. The sources of information about each of the categories are different, but they can all be divided by their nature into two groups: subjective and objective. Methods of fixing information obtained from these sources: verbal (verbal) description and materially fixed image or display of signs of a person's appearance.

Subjective representations (psychophysiological images) about the appearance of the desired person in the memory of a person ("mental image"). This mental image can be recorded in the form of a description (in the interrogation protocol, in orientation, report, report, etc.), as well as by transferring images that carry a significant element of subjectivity (drawn, compositional portraits).

Objective sources include photographs, motion pictures, video recordings, and radiographs.

Objective sources are also displays of human elements (a cast from the face of a corpse, a cast of a bare footprint, fingerprints, etc.), as well as bone remains, a skull. The description by the method of verbal portrait, compiled according to all the rules in the conditions of direct targeted perception of the fixed person, can also be recognized as objective.

Evaluating information from subjective sources requires a special approach. The formation of a mental image of the desired person in a person's memory is a complex psychophysiological process. It consists of several stages, each of which can affect the reliability of information. The main of these stages are: perception, memorization, reproduction.

The perception of the external appearance can be long-term, repeated, including under favorable conditions conducive to memorization (joint study, work, living, etc.), or short-term, when a crime was committed. Perception can be influenced by both objective factors (distance to the person being remembered, the nature and degree of illumination of the object, the duration of perception), and subjective (gender, age, profession of the person remembering, his observation, purposefulness of perception, etc.). It so happens that at some point a witness does not even realize that he is an eyewitness to a crime and does not pay due attention to the offender. During an interview or interrogation of a person (witness, victim), whose testimony is supposed to be used to draw up a description of the wanted person, the conditions of perception, the memory properties of the interrogated are necessarily identified and taken into account, and his ability to reproduce the memorized signs is assessed. The story of the interrogated (interrogated) must be free. It should not be used when interrogating the terms of a verbal portrait, since they are unknown to him and can be disorienting. If you present his testimony in the protocol using these terms, then he will have to sign under the information that he does not understand.

At the same time, when interrogating a person about the signs of appearance, it is useful to adhere to the general scheme of a verbal portrait - from general to particular, etc. It is advisable to use contour images of the face and its individual elements. Based on such an arbitrary description, it is possible to compose systematized orienting information.

A mental image can be transformed into a subjective portrait. In the forensic technique, three models of such portraits are distinguished: drawn, drawing-compositional, photocompositional. Painted portraits are performed by the eyewitness himself (if he has the appropriate skill) or by the artist according to his words. When drawing up a drawing-compositional portraits, line drawings of facial elements are used, which make it possible, by various combinations, to compose a significant number of images that differ in one way or another in appearance. At present, the IKR-2 system is used for these purposes. In the production of photocombined portraits (composite images), not drawings are used, but fragments of photographs of various persons. Photos are selected in accordance with the testimony of witnesses.

Painted and compositional portraits are subjective in nature and are used for tracing purposes only. They are unsuitable for expert identification and are not objects of forensic portrait examination.

Additional information about the wanted person can be obtained by examining the scene of the incident and analyzing the material situation. Traces of hands, feet (shoes), teeth, burglary marks, etc. make it possible to judge the gender, the height of the face, the size of individual parts of the body (arms, legs), his skills (professional, criminal), physical strength, etc. to collect information about the appearance of well-known persons, for example, those who have fled from the investigation and the court, escaped from places of detention, are missing, then for this they use both subjective and objective sources of information.

Objective here are the materials of operational and forensic records, personal and registration files of arrested and convicted persons.

Information about the missing person can be obtained from his relatives and friends. They can also provide photographs. Additional data for all cases of search can be obtained from medical records (dental cards, spa books, radiographs, etc.), where the information included in the verbal portrait is recorded (height, condition of the dental apparatus, surgical interventions, etc.) ... Information about the appearance of the registered person is obtained through direct observation and examination, which allows you to more accurately perceive the anatomical structure of the body, its signs, special signs (the presence of tattoos, their content, color, location, etc.). A personal search can also serve as one of the sources of information about a person and mainly about related objects (clothes, shoes, hats, etc.).

The completeness and method of recording data in the event of a corpse being found depends on whether it is identified or not. At the same time, it is taken into account that the corpse may generally be unidentified due to far-reaching putrefactive changes, damage to the face (head) by cadaveric pests (insects, rodents) or as a result of the disfigurement of the face by the criminal. If the possibility of identifying a corpse is allowed, then only its general anatomical signs (gender, age, height, nationality, physique) and some signs of the main elements of the face (without detail) are noted in the examination report. Be sure to indicate visible special and catchy signs. For identification, the corpse is given a life-like appearance ("corpse toilet"). They photograph him at the scene of the incident according to the rules of survey, nodal and detailed photography.

If the corpse has not been identified, then a detailed description is drawn up using the verbal portrait method for the file of unidentified corpses. His fingerprints and photographs of his face (head) are also placed there: full face, right and left profile, half-turn left and right.

One way to fix your appearance is to get a death mask.

The most objective, complete and reliable method of fixation are photographs taken according to the rules of signaling photography. Motion pictures and video recordings are capable of conveying functional signs and signs of related objects.

Forensic portrait examination

The most significant role in personal identification belongs to forensic portrait examination1. As a result of its implementation, the fact of identity is established.

The possibilities of portrait expertise are quite extensive, which is determined both by the type of objects entering for research and by research methods. Depending on the nature of the objects, this type of examination can be classified into the following subspecies:

a) examination of images of people by photographic portraits in order to establish whether the same person is depicted in two (or more) photographs;

b) examination of an unidentified corpse (photographs of which are presented) and a photograph of a living person to establish the identity of the corpse;

c) examination of intravital photographs of the missing person and the skull of a corpse to establish whether the discovered skull could belong to this person;

d) examination of the death mask of an unknown person and lifetime photographs of the missing person in order to identify the corpse.

The above list of objects and purposes of the study indicates that the portrait examination is carried out in the process of operational and investigative measures to search for persons who fled from the investigation and the court; persons who fled from places of detention; missing persons when a person similar to the wanted person is found or arrested. An examination is carried out even if there are reasonable doubts about the fact that the photograph in the identity card shows the person who presented this document as his own. They turn to the expert help to establish the fact that a specific person is depicted in the photographs related to the event under investigation. And, finally, the importance of portrait examination is great in establishing the identity of an unidentified corpse.

The basis of personality identification in relation to all of the above objects is a comparative study (comparative analysis) of signs of appearance.

The success of expert identification from photographs largely depends on their correct selection, quality, time and shooting conditions. It is advisable to take photographs without retouching, with a clear study of the details of the face, in which the identified face is depicted from the same angle and under the same lighting as in the photograph under study. At the same time, taking into account the fact that certain elements of the face (head) can be clearly seen on different photographs, it is recommended to send as comparative photographs as many photographs as possible, and if necessary (at the request of an expert) and negatives.

The photographs submitted for the study are examined by an expert, the most suitable for comparison are selected from them. Selected photographs are brought up to the same scale (for reproduction photography). For a group of photographs showing the same identified person, using the method of verbal portrait, a description of the coinciding signs of appearance is compiled. Along with the description, other methods of demonstrating matching features are also used: a) comparison - compared photographs are pasted side by side and matching features are marked with the same numbers; b) alignment - the addition of parts of the images (usually the left side of one face with the right side of another) to demonstrate the alignment (mutual transition) of horizontal lines: hair growth, eyebrows, eyes, base of the nose, mouth, chin; c) overlay - matching the images of faces made on transparent photographic films (or one image on film, the other on photographic paper) according to the anatomical and topographic points of the same name.

Other techniques are also used: they measure the distances between the anatomical and topographic points of the same name, study the dimensional ratios, produce graphic constructions, etc.

The expert's conclusion is based on a detailed description of all the identified signs of appearance and an objective assessment of their sufficiency for the purposes of identification. If, along with the coinciding signs that make it possible to come to the conclusion about the identity, some differences are observed, they must be explained (different lighting, head position, age-related changes, changes due to a previous illness, etc.). The expert's conclusion must be accompanied by tables with photographs, both marked and without markings (control).

If a skull and an intravital image of an identified person are presented for examination, then the study is carried out according to the following method. Initially, the sex and approximate age of the person to which it belonged is established from the skull. If this does not exclude further research, then a slide is made from the lifetime image of the face. Next, the skull is photographed at the same scale and angle as the face depicted on the slide. After that, the negative images of the skull and face are combined along the main anatomical and topographic points, and photo printing is carried out from such a combined negative. Both images should be clearly visible on the resulting photograph so that all the main anatomical and topographic points and contours coincide. If they match, it is concluded that the skull may have belonged to this person. In a categorical form, a conclusion is given only if, along with the noted, there is a coincidence of individualizing signs: curvature of the nasal dorsum, traces of surgical intervention on the bones of the skull, coincidence of vital information about the state of the dental apparatus.

In investigative and operational-search practice, sometimes they resort to sculptural reconstruction of the face from the skull (the method of Professor M.M. Gerasimov). The essence of the method is that a wax composition of a layer is applied to the skull, which is determined by the thickness of the soft tissues in the corresponding areas of the face (head). The resulting sculptural portrait can be presented for operational purposes for recognition, compared by the method of verbal portrait with the lifetime image of the missing person. The results of identification or comparison have no evidentiary value, since the creation of a sculptural portrait is based not only on objective data, but also on subjective data introduced by the sculptor. For the same reason, a sculptural portrait cannot be an object of expert research.

Recently, for operational purposes, they have also been comparing drawn or compositional portraits in cases involving serial crimes. Portraits created from the words of the victim or witness for different crime episodes are compared. Such a technique makes it possible to establish with some degree of probability that the crimes were committed by the same person. Such research, not being an expert examination, is carried out for operational purposes and is documented by a "research certificate".

The most common and accessible method of fixing the signs of a person's appearance is the compilation of his verbal description, which can be fixed both in writing and with the help of sound recording. The description, compiled for the purpose of identifying a person according to the characteristics of his appearance and establishing his identity, is usually called forensic.

A forensic description of a person's external appearance is compiled during his direct observation during operational-search activities (mainly for registration purposes, as well as for fixing signs of the observed person's appearance); conducting investigative actions (identification, examination, examination); indirect study in the process of operational-search activity (when fixing data on the appearance of a fugitive criminal, a missing person from the words, that is, from the memory of people who knew or saw the wanted person); production of forensic portrait examination.

Thus, the description can be carried out by direct observation of a person (from nature), as well as from the words of an eyewitness. In this case, the eyewitness reproduces in verbal form his idea of \u200b\u200bthis person, that is, from memory. The description can be performed when studying the appearance of a person captured in a photograph, video frame, or a subjective portrait. The description can also be compiled when studying the signs of the appearance of a deceased, deceased person according to his death mask, graphic or plastic reconstruction of the face from the skull.

The reliability of the display of the features of appearance, recorded with the help of the description, is greater when it is performed from nature, that is, it has an immediate character. Less reliable is the description mediated, compiled from the words of the person who observed the person being described.

At the same time, such a circumstance as the possession of the methodology for compiling a forensic description is important. If the subject of composing the description does not possess such a technique, his description as a means of fixing the external appearance of a person will not differ in completeness and reliability. In turn, the possession of the technique allows the subject of composing the description to record quite fully and reliably the signs of the appearance of the described person.

When assessing the quality of information recorded in the form of a description, it is necessary to take into account the factors under the influence of which it is formed and created: the patterns of human perception, the complexity of the process of reproducing visual impressions in verbal form, the type of description, the primary or repetitive description, the place of compilation of the description, its time period and origin.

The content of information recorded in the form of a description is influenced by: regularities of the process of human perception, preservation of the formed representation; time elapsed from the moment of perception to the reproduction of its results; the complexity of the process of reproducing visual impressions in verbal form; the multiple forms of transformation of the original ideas, the possibility of losing some of the impressions and modifying the surviving ones.

The specificity of the verbal formulation of perceived information lies in the fact that this process is accompanied by its generalization. The designation of elements of a visual image using words is a very complex procedure, despite the external simplicity. So, even the description of one's own appearance, the appearance of close relatives and friends causes difficulty.

The difficulty occurs due to the fact that the individuality of a person's appearance is difficult to convey in ordinary words, except, of course, for special signs. Most often, the signs of appearance are characterized as ordinary, "normal", although they may not be.

In addition, the complexity lies in the unambiguous designation of features. Appearance in descriptions is often characterized by generalizing terms that have the same meaning for different people, depending on many individual characteristics of the authors of the description.

The quality of the description is influenced by its type - oral story or written presentation. A written description may differ in content from an oral description. This is explained by the fact that, firstly, the written presentation of an oral story requires certain skills; secondly, the stylistic design of the description can affect its accuracy, completeness, detail, lead to unconscious filling of gaps in the perception and memorization of information; thirdly, the written description may be shorter than the oral one, it may lack essential details that, in the opinion of the subject of the description, are not of interest.

For the quality of the description, it also matters whether it is primary or repeated. Despite the preservation of the basis of the description, its repeated, repeated compilation leads to the impoverishment of the content of the description, the introduction of elements of generalization into it, and the filling of gaps with conjecture. Therefore, it is advisable to use the initial description, refining it in the process of further gathering information about the person's appearance.

The place of compilation of the description is understood as an ethnographically separate territory in which the compiler of the description lives and works. Depending on this, the subject of the description involuntarily develops an idea about the norm of the appearance feature for the population around him. This rate depends on the anthropological composition of the population of a given area. Therefore, there is a certain relationship between the individual perception of the norm of appearance signs with the objective norm characteristic of a given ethnic, anthropological group of the population.

The time of compilation of the description, the period that has elapsed from the moment of compilation to the use of the description, you need to know in order to take them into account when analyzing the changes that can occur over a considerable length of this period.

The origin of the description, the circumstances in which it arose, are important factors, the analysis of which is necessary to determine the degree of reliability of the display when describing a person's appearance.

The description may arise in the process of measures specially carried out for these purposes, appear as a result of circumstances not intended for its compilation. In the first case, the subject of the description has the ability to systematically and without difficulty observe a person and compose his description (for example, registering a person based on his appearance). In the second case, the description is usually drawn up some time after the observation, and not by the eyewitness himself, but by another person, most often by an employee of the internal affairs body.

The reliability of the description, compiled by an eyewitness or from his words, is significantly influenced by the conditions of observation of the object. The short-term observation and other complicating conditions reduce the level of correspondence of the description to reality. Descriptions of eyewitnesses or information based on them are not always accurate, the reliability of the data in some cases cannot be verified, especially since such descriptions are compiled from memory.

The description compiled on the basis of registration materials is more reliable, since it is based on features specially studied for their consolidation in the registration process. In addition, such descriptions must be reliable, that is, accurately reflect the established signs of appearance, since they are compiled by operational workers on the basis of personal observations or verified reports of other persons, and must not include data on the allegedly established signs.

When working with a description as a means of fixing the signs of a person's appearance, it is necessary to assess its quality, which depends on its completeness and certainty.

Completeness of description is determined by the number of features given in it. A description that contains data on all the main elements of appearance is considered to be quite complete. As a rule, a list of signs of these elements is given in the relevant guidance materials, cards - information carriers (for example, a card for a missing person).

Definition of description is evaluated from the standpoint of its unambiguous or ambiguous understanding. An unambiguous description clearly defines a variant of a feature, a multivalued one - allows several options. Usually, information with a low degree of certainty is found in descriptions of signs of the appearance of unknown persons. The analysis of the degree of certainty of the description is made taking into account information about the personality of the subject of the description and the used form of description. The lower the qualifications of its compiler, the worse the conditions for perception of external appearance, the less certainty of the description. In an ordered description, the degree of certainty can be analyzed, an arbitrary description allows words and expressions that are not completely certain in themselves.

When assessing the reliability of displaying signs of a person's appearance in descriptions, the form of the description should also be taken into account. It can be arbitrary and structured, or ordered.

Free description conveys all the features of the story about the external appearance of a person and most often arises during interviews, interrogations of witnesses, victims. It can also be provided in documents drawn up in the course of operational-search activities. Such a description may contain characteristic features of the person being described. It is distinguished by the use of everyday terminology, as they say, colloquially. Sometimes in the descriptions there are words and expressions characteristic of a certain, sometimes narrow group of people - local dialects. The characteristics contained in an arbitrary description can be both accurate and extremely inaccurate, therefore, using an arbitrary description, it is difficult to determine the degree of closeness of the selected words to the described characteristics, since the meaning that the author of the description and the person analyzing him put into the word may turn out to be different.

Since the description is to be used as a source of forensic information, it must be transformed into orderly, i.e., compiled according to certain rules and using uniform terminology 1.

An ordered description is made according to the following rules.

  • 1. Determination of signs of appearance is carried out in relation to the normal position of the head and body of a standing person.
  • 2. The description is compiled sequentially - first, the element of appearance as a whole is characterized, and then - its parts.
  • 3. Description of the elements of appearance is drawn up in a certain order - according to the principle from top to bottom.
  • 4. Elements of the exterior are characterized both in front and in profile.
  • 5. When describing the elements of appearance, indicate their signs: shape (contour), size, position, color, severity, as well as symmetry.
  • 6. In the external appearance of a person, features are distinguished and described, that is, signs that differ sharply from the norm, and special signs (scars, birthmarks, deviations from the normal development of the body, etc.).

To translate an arbitrary description into an ordered one, special reference books are used, in which common words and expressions often found in arbitrary descriptions are correlated with their most likely meanings in terms of a forensic description of a person's appearance 1.

Forensic description as a method of fixing the signs of a person's appearance is carried out when conducting operational-search measures, conducting criminal registration, carrying out investigative actions, performing a forensic portrait examination.

When conducting operational-search activities, this description is used to fix the external appearance of persons of operational interest.

It is necessary to especially note the signs that form the visibility of the elements of appearance and allow you to quickly distinguish the described person among a large group of people. Such signs include, firstly, those that are noticeable from a distance, less than others depend on the observation conditions (they can be called orienting signs), and secondly, those that are most characteristic of the appearance of a given person (they can be called dominant signs).

Since the appearance of almost every person is dominated by signs of average value, you should: pay attention to the proportions of the face and its elements; to fix the ratio of the frontal, nasal, oral parts, the position of the elements relative to the horizontal, vertical and each other, to identify asymmetry, which is usually inherent in all people to one degree or another.

An operational officer, when compiling a description of a person whom he directly observed, must take into account the above rules for preparing an ordered description.

When compiling a forensic description of a person's appearance for registration purposes, they must necessarily reflect all the signs indicated on the form of the corresponding document. If it is difficult to determine the attribute, all possible variations should be indicated.

anty to avoid loss of information. In cases where a missing person is being traced, the signs of clothing, shoes and small wearable items are identified and described immediately upon receipt of a complaint about the disappearance of a person, since over time the applicant will not be able to name them with the required completeness and accuracy.

When describing clothes, its type, name, style, material from which it is made, and its color are indicated. Subject to the description of the brand and hallmarks of manufacturers, signs of wearing, repair. The location, size and shape of the large defects are described. If there are remnants of the material from which the missing person sewed a coat, suit or other clothes for himself, then samples of these fabrics are attached.

When preparing a presentation for identification, the description of the signs of appearance, recorded in the protocol of preliminary interrogation, is of great importance. According to this description, it is determined what external features the persons presented to the eyewitness should have. The Criminal Procedure Law requires that these persons be similar in appearance, that is, they do not have sharp differences in physique, age, height, shape and color of the face, hair, eyes, hairstyle, special features. The results of identification cannot be recognized as justified if the identifier has indicated such signs and signs that, due to their uncertainty, are insufficient to establish the identity. In the protocol of presentation for identification, the signs and signs by which the identifying person recognized the person presented for identification must be especially accurately indicated. The wording “I recognize by facial features, the structure of the nose, mouth,” etc. is unacceptable. It is required to highlight and indicate such values \u200b\u200bof features that differ from the so-called averages and, in their totality, individualize the identifiable.

Thus, the description of signs of appearance in the identification protocol should include not their enumeration (for example, the size of the nose, the contour of the lips, chin, etc.), but an indication of exactly what signs a person is identified by (for example, by a large nose, arched border upper lip, wide, protruding chin, etc.).

In the protocol of presentation for identification, the testimony of the identifying person is, if possible, stated verbatim, that is, the expressions used by the witness, the victim are given.

A description of the signs of appearance is also made during the examination, during which various special signs, injuries, scars, tattoos, body defects, birthmarks can be found. In this case, a complete description of the external appearance of the examined person is not compiled, but the exact name of the identified signs is given, indicating their location on the body.

One of the specific investigative actions, during which the description of the signs of appearance by direct observation is carried out, is the examination of the corpse. When examining a corpse with the participation of a specialist, special attention is paid to the presence of injuries and traces of violence, which can become evidence when establishing the cause of death. Usually, the description of signs of appearance is made according to an abbreviated program. However, the need for subsequent identification of the deceased (deceased), the impossibility of re-examination, the shortcomings of photography require detailed recording of the signs of appearance in full and according to the rules of forensic description. The description should reflect the totality of signs that individualize the deceased (deceased).

The description of signs of appearance during a forensic portrait examination has a certain specificity. The description of the signs of appearance should be as detailed as the images submitted for research allow. With expert portrait identification, not all elements and signs of appearance are used, but only those that have received a reliable display in the portraits.

In expert portrait identification, the description of appearance begins with complex elements and features.

Initially, gender, age (age period of the person depicted), anthropological type (belonging to one of the main races), body type are indicated.

During the preliminary examination of the images, descriptions and signs of accompanying elements of the appearance - clothes, wearable things, ornaments are also performed.

In the description of clothing, its type (male, female, children's) and style are indicated, which is characterized taking into account its purpose, cut (seasonal, professional, uniform, special). The headdress is characterized separately, while its type (cap, beret, etc.) and color are indicated.

When composing a description of clothes, you need to note the location of the sides, fasteners, brand names. This is necessary to resolve the issue of the possibility of a mirror image of the object.

After compiling a description of the features of complex and accompanying elements of appearance, they proceed to the description of the features of anatomical elements, primarily the features of the head as the most important for portrait identification.

The head and face of a person are studied as a whole. Also, their separate parts and elements are being investigated. The head as a whole is characterized by

relative size and structural features. The description of the face as a whole is carried out along the contour in the front, the proportions and the relative sizes of its parts.

After that, a description of the hair on the head and face (mustache, beard, sideburns) is drawn up. Then a description of the forehead, eyebrows, eyes, cheekbones, nose, mouth, skin and mucous membranes of the lips, chin, ears, neck is given, signs of the skin of the face are noted (presence, location, severity of wrinkles, folds, etc.).

Description of the features of the elements of appearance is made at all stages of the portrait examination. But this description has its own characteristics, taking into account the specifics of each stage.

So, at the stage of preliminary research, the description is limited only to the features of complex and accompanying elements, since the main task of this stage is to preliminary compare the faces depicted in the portrait.

In the process of a separate study, the anatomical elements of appearance are studied and described using the method of verbal portrait. First, the features are defined as they appear in the portrait. Then, taking into account the factors affecting their display, the severity of the signs is established under normal conditions. The conditions of signal photography are considered to be such.

At the stage of comparative research, the description records the results of comparing the signs of appearance identified in the course of a separate study, and such a description is limited only to comparable signs. When listing the coincidences and differences, they are called and explain what, in what gradations, the coincidence and difference of features lies.

At the final stage, the differing features should be described in detail. A detailed description of the coinciding features is optional, since they must be objectively and accurately presented in the illustrative part of the expert opinion.

Appearance and portrait of the offender

Temperament and portrait largely determine the behavior and, therefore, the fate of a person. Here we consider the appearance of men as the main carriers of crime. Although, as it is believed, the most stable character traits, including criminal ones, are concentrated in a woman, since she is the "permanent" memory of humanity, while a man is a "working" memory. No one more than a woman will be able to disguise an evil inclination in herself, behind a beautiful appearance - a cold heart, behind damp eyes - ruthlessness. An actress-dancer of the Orenburg Musical Comedy Theater washed the weapon of crime from blood - a tourist hatchet, with which her husband Ionesyan, an artist of the same theater, killed victims, including children, entering apartments under the guise of a Mosgaz employee. Realizing their evil inclination, women more often than men, being potential criminals, do not give in to the call of fate and follow the "religious line", becoming soothsayers, fortune-tellers, healers such as a former Komsomol member and a failed doomsday prophetess Masha Tsvigun from the White Brotherhood.

Typically, the criminal past and present is felt in the face and demeanor. In older people, the past leaves clear marks on the face, fixed as a result of the constant repetition of emotions. It is more difficult to read evil or other secret vices on a young face, especially if the person is tempted in the art of hypocrisy. The higher the development, the more the facial muscles become differentiated, making it possible to transmit or mask mood and thoughts. If a person is tuned in to something, really preoccupied with something, this is reflected in his appearance. Aside from a heavy lower jaw, a split chin, and sharp facial creases, the most overwhelming effect is the gaze of the criminal, which, like nothing else, shows who you have to face. The look corresponds to the character of a person, but more often it is deliberately developed to suppress not only the victims, but also his environment.

The criminal sometimes hides under the guise of an exquisite, sophisticated and well-mannered person who graduated from the university, who speaks English, a connoisseur of literature and art, and collects antiques. Therefore, there will be no general approach to describing the portrait of a criminal, we will try to give average information that can be used as a recommendation. We offer some characteristics of a person from the book by Moreau-Christophe "The World of Scammers". Try to assess yourself and others for compliance with the portraits described.

By temperament, people are known to be different.

Choleric have a bilious temperament. The lot of these people is hard work, great talents, deep delusions, serious crimes. They strive to achieve everything by force, violence, violence, are influenced by imagination and passion. They have a bold and daring look, shining eyes, a lean face, black hair, a strong but malformed physique, strong muscles, a lean figure. Often they are regulars in the prison, or at least predisposed to such actions that should lead them there.

Melancholic have a sad expression, sunken eyes with a sullen expression, black and straight hair, tall and thin stature, long limbs. The look is restless and timid. They seem weak in appearance, but they have remarkable strength. Suspicious, unsure of themselves, jealous, envious. The imagination retains the smallest impressions in its memory; little things are perceived as incidents. These are the most dangerous scammers and criminals.

Phlegmatic They are distinguished by a weak and delicate physique, a calm face, straight hair of an indefinite color and dull eyes. At the same time, they have a stout body and thick, albeit weak, muscles, unhurried movements. As a result of laziness, they are moderate in vices, as well as in everything else - in virtue, feelings, thoughts. They seek only peace. Criminals, from whom energy and dynamics are required, are rare and then forced.

Sanguine even less dangerous than phlegmatic. They are always excited, prone to vivid impressions, carried away, easily comforted in grief and satiated with passions. They are not capable of strong mental tension, of serious reflection. Quiet, patient, calm, obedient. They are distinguished by their small stature and stoutness, proportional build, fresh and cheerful face, lively eyes, soft and delicate skin. As a rule, they are light and agile.

By form heads you can draw the following conclusions about a person:

Square - energy, firmness, confidence;

Round - initiative, quick reaction, courtesy;

Oval - mental alertness, flexibility, independence;

Triangular - intelligence, resourcefulness, cunning.

Face - this is the only part of the human body that is revived by thought. With some experience, it can be hidden. But even the most experienced swindlers get tired of their game, and then vice puts a stamp on the face, twitches the muscles, obscures the eyes, beauty gives way to ugliness, and a rogue, a thief, a murderer is discovered.

It is difficult to judge the personality of a person by facial features, but a preliminary impression can be made by later clarifying, if possible, by analyzing behavior, verbal and non-verbal characteristics. The upper part of the face characterizes the thinking abilities, the middle - the mental, sensual qualities - the lower, from the tip of the nose to the end of the chin - material properties and a tendency to vices and crimes. Wide face - great self-confidence; if the bulk of the face is located below the nose, then the person also has great physical activity and energy. A narrow face is indecision; the bulk of the face is located above the nose - a person has great psychic energy. He will not be pissed off by minor or even major failures. Sharpened profile - discernment. A face widening from mouth to ears and further narrowing is greed.

Wide, square, protruding forward angles - creative person, thinker, courageous, wise;

Prominent in the middle is the analyst's forehead;

Convex at the temples - subtle mind and cunning;

Direct, tall, narrow - undeveloped imagination, slow-witted, but firmness of character and sequence of actions;

Slanted back - quick wits, wit, practical orientation.

Hair:

Silky, soft, thin - weak character, lack of energy;

Tough, curly - hard character, serious mind, heavy disposition;

Straight, thick - rough, dull mind;

Blond - sensitivity and tenderness;

Chestnut, black - energy, passion, voluptuousness;

Red - irritability, irascibility, anger;

Redheads - extreme wickedness or the greatest kindness;

Thick hair - strength, hardness, courage, cruelty;

Sparse hair - weakness, tenderness, cowardice;

Hair of a color other than eyebrows is a sign of pretense.

Eyebrows:

Close to each other, thick and overhanging define a powerful mind, strength, energy, firmness;

Divided, rare and smooth - weakness of mind, weakness of physical strength, meekness.

Eyes.

What epithets do not give the eyes: a mirror of the soul, a pledge of fidelity, a crater of hatred, a symbol of vitality, soft, tender, piercing, hard, empty, expressionless, glassy, \u200b\u200bcold, absent, in love, laughing, crying. Essentially, all possible definitions of human feelings can be attributed to the eyes. A look can excite, rivet, express pain and hatred, it can “kill”.

Eye shape:

Big, bulging - mental mediocrity, good memory, open character, reliability, will, energy;

Round, small - discernment, cunning, anger, derision, unreliability, superficiality, susceptibility to influence;

Low upper eyelid, overlooking the pupil - lack of analytical skills; the upper eyelid is not visible - strong analyst.

Eye location:

Widely set - coldness, sobriety, practicality, indecision, breadth of nature;

Narrowly set - idealist, fanatic, striving for perfection, exactingness, easy excitability.

Eye expression:

Alive, clear and brilliant - kindness, timidity and weakness of mind;

Inexpressive, dull - little judgment, inability for emotional disturbances.

Eye color:

Black, brown - courage and fortitude;

Blue - the opposite;

Greenish - ardor, hot temper, courage, courage;

Black with blue proteins - anger, greed (gypsy eyes).

Thick eyelashes, little open eyelids - rudeness and stupidity; eyelashes and eyelids are very open, the pupil is clearly defined - the mind is original, bizarre.

Straight, almost perpendicular to the face - courage, constancy, perseverance, independence;

Eagle - strength of character, will, thoughts, love for profit;

Flattened, tilted to the lip - gluttony and voluptuousness;

Dull and short - a simple mind, easily deceived;

Small, thin, agile - mockery;

Smooth, straight, motionless - narrowness of mind, coldness, skepticism;

Turned up - gullibility, a tendency to obey.

Correct outline - strong, judicious mind;

Pursed, straight narrow lips - coldness, practicality, a tendency to money-grubbing, stinginess, love of order;

Open is stupidity;

Thick lips - kindness, frankness;

Pursed lips - vanity, cunning, a tendency to anger and cruelty;

Shortened lips - stinginess, greed, greed;

Raised upper lip - kindness or weakness of the mind;

Sagging lower lip - high mind;

Fleshy lower lip - passion (which is why women love to paint on it for themselves, trying to deceive with excess sexuality);

Lowered corners of the lips - bad qualities, pessimism.

Jaws, teeth:

Wide jaws - strong, cruel, adventurous;

Long teeth - weakness, timidity;

Small teeth - cunning, subtlety of mind, vindictiveness, heavy character;

Prominent teeth - lack of energy, sharp mind;

Open upper gums - phlegm, coldness.

Large, wide, thick - stupidity, inclination to practical matters;

Not very big - intelligence, inner weakness;

Immobile - coldness, selfishness;

Saggy, agile, subtle - sharp mind, courage, independence.

The chin:

Round with a hollow - kindness;

Soft, fleshy, forked - sensuality;

Wide, flat - coldness, selfishness, pugnaciousness;

Angular - smart, dexterous;

Thick, bold - stupidity;

Cut back - weakness of moral qualities;

Prominent forward, pointed - courage, sarcasm, stubbornness;

Bony, thin, pointed - greed, ambition, intelligence, cunning.

S. Fourier described 600 normal human characters. There are no less of them in crime. The above portrait characteristics, on the one hand, make it possible to understand a person, but on the other, knowing them, you can disguise your appearance and intentions by putting on a fake disguise. There is a set of stereotypes that mislead a person. For instance, full a man seems to us in most cases to be talkative, good-natured, accommodating, trusting, emotional, open; tall, thin - nervous, ambitious, suspicious, loving solitude, secretive; athlete - courageous, courageous, self-confident, energetic, daring, proactive. It should be added that such a stereotype often deprives us of the ability to correctly understand a person, especially when it comes to high-ranking leaders.

Additional attributes of the stereotype are clothing, cosmetics, voice, etc. For example, a military or police uniform provides complete confidence in a person. Robbers love to dress like this before a raid. Marriage swindlers seduce women with the costume of a sailor, a pilot, and sometimes even a general's uniform. If, for disguise, you wear a priest's costume, which is widely practiced by fraudsters today, then it is easy to make sure that trust in the holy father is absolute. How cosmetics can disguise is known to every woman. Instead of one person under a roughly painted or skillfully applied mask, you can see a completely different one. An indispensable attribute of a thief and a swindler is glasses. A person immediately seems smarter, more diligent, decent.

CONCLUSIONS

1. Recognizing a person is difficult, almost impossible. Monstrous selfishness, often covered by refined charm, hides the intentions of the criminal. Therefore, the above features can only become an auxiliary material, using which in a criminal situation, the victim can try to find the criminal's mental strings that can be played.

2. If this fails, do not resist, do not show any antagonism - you are a victim of a criminal who often needs to destroy you. There is a small chance of escape. Try to use it.

3. The above portrait characteristics can be used by imposing them on well-known leaders of the state, deputies and local leaders. Most of their actions are known, and from them one can judge the correspondence of the portrait characteristics and the declared official statements. This is a good test for beginner physiognomists.

This text is an introductory fragment.

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Portrait-hypothesis In the spring of 1978, Antonin Aleksandrovich Popov brought a letter from the chairman of the Novorzhevsk regional executive committee to the Leningrad forensic laboratory with a request to help the district people's museum in recreating the appearance of their fellow countryman, the Decembrist N.P.

Today you will learn how to identify a criminal by his appearance. Murderers, scum, social dregs, rotten rot. Or "The dark side of personality with pictures." We read a unique article and look at the people around us in a new way. So, the physiognomy of criminals:

Physiognomy of a killer - thick lips, large nose, quadrangular chin, cheekbones.
Physiognomy of the rapist - bulging eyes, lipped, flattened nose.

This is not our invention, this is a 19th century discovery - criminals are born, not become. Neither upbringing, nor the environment makes a pallet a palt. Genes are to blame, because it is they who give out the appearance of the future bandit.

Cesare Lombroso identified four types of criminals: murderer, thief, rapist and rogue. The theory of division into people and scum belongs to Cesare Lombroso, an Italian who lived in the 19th century, who worked as a psychiatrist in prisons in Austria-Hungary. He had seen enough of the dregs of society in prison - he noticed a similarity.

In principle, it is not difficult to come to such a discovery by going into a handel on the outskirts - "Such disgusting faces are gathered, but how similar!" (the main thing is not to tell them about it). So the macaroni firmly substantiated, having measured the skulls of hundreds of criminals, that:


Murderer or Rapist?

The natural base has an asymmetrical skull, the face is elongated or sunken face with a convex forehead. Some parts of the skull are sharply defined. A sloping forehead, or, again, a low forehead with strongly developed superciliary arches, a large jaw. That fucking description of half of our government!


Andrey Sakhanenko, 11th grade student. I quarreled with my parents because of bad grades. He hired a friend to kill his parents, he opened the door to the killer himself. They staged an attack on an apartment. Sakhanenko himself called the police, he was in prison for 11 years, the murderer was 13 years old. EVERYTHING IS WRITTEN ON THE FACE ?!

Alexey Degtyarev, 43 years old, a lawyer from St. Petersburg. 15 facts of his deviation from normal human behavior have been proved: he approached small children on the street, lured them into the entrance, they say, "I'm a doctor, I need to touch you." I took pictures of naked children and fucked them. Received 18 years of strict regime with compulsory treatment by a psychiatrist. That's for sure - castration alone is not enough, pedophiles must also be hidden in a madhouse!

After the release of the first articles by Lombroso about congenital crime, an epidemic swept through Europe - everyone measured who had a larger and more incorrect skull. Lombroso himself offered to take the born criminals to the islands, and they would at least kill each other there. However, only the Nazis really obeyed him - they lovingly measured the skulls and the shape of the ears before burning the subhuman. They have tarnished Lombroso thoroughly.


Cesare Lombroso

A funny sign of a bastard according to Lombroso's theory is: a look from under the forehead and a low pain threshold. Such a PTU student in a cap at the dance. An unpleasant appearance is also typical. Well, the spitting image of a PTU!

And about female criminals - outwardly they cannot be distinguished from people. The criminal woman is insensitive - she cannot finish. No maternal instinct, no pity at all. Who needs this? - So they bull! Women criminals are much tougher than men from the underworld! By the way, we are.


Pecheneva Julia, 46 years old. Moscow region lady. I found women similar to myself in social networks, met, and when they met, I killed them, and, according to their documents, sold their apartments.


Pecheneva Julia and her victim.

Lombroso said: "Man is an animal, you cannot re-educate him. They immediately identified the criminal and isolate him forever." Europe was seething - both supporters and opponents of Lombroso were enough. And in Soviet Russia, Lombroso was not loved - you yourself in the photo identify people who are not prone to crime.


And Lombroso's theory says that a criminal, that a revolutionary is one dick. This is a dick preaching animal laws among people - dominance at any cost, that is, to achieve their goals by violence.

There is a connection between physique and character - yes, fuck, don't argue! Only before they tried to mark rogue after a crime:

In ancient Egypt, thieves had their front teeth knocked out;
- in medieval Europe, they cut off their nose for robbery, and their ears for theft;
- Hindus branded: a murderer - a headless man, an adulterer - a tattoo in the form of a vagina.
Thieves' tattoos went along the way from there ...

To date, research on Lombroso's theory is not openly conducted. And so the state died in terms of control over its citizens. And then if they start to share - in general, a gloomy idea. But, for us, lovers of physiognomy, this knowledge will be useful - to whom when choosing reliable business partners, to whom - sex partners.


And Lombroso proposed to single out the criminals before the crime. What's wrong with that? The only caveat - in his old age Lombroso came to the division of scum - congenital and incorrigible - 40%, and random scum, correctable 60%. That is, if you have crime in your head, you are completely genetically inaccessible. But your descendants have all the chances to carry the bogey gene.

So you learned how to identify a criminal by his appearance. Physiognomy of a criminal, so to speak. We hope that you do not have shades of schizophrenia and do not start going through the photos of VKontakte friends and delete potential killers. Although, it's so much fun to learn something new about those we have known for so long!

The first who proposed to look for signs associated with criminal behavior in the features of a person's appearance was Lavater (1741 - 1801) and his supporters. Such signs, in their opinion, were: small ears, lush eyelashes, small nose, big lips (quite a pretty portrait).

Of course, it was not possible to identify any stable connection between these signs and criminal behavior.

Then, Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828) proposed his theory of phrenology, which studied the external features of the skull, which are indicators of personal traits, properties and inclinations. Some projections on the skull were considered indicators of "lower" brain functions (aggressiveness), while others represented "higher" functions and inclinations (morality). It was believed that among criminals "lower" aspirations prevail over "higher" ones.

The number of folds and gray matter in the brain of animals increases in proportion to their mental abilities - from fish and amphibians to ungulates, cats, monkeys, on the basis of this, he suggested that under the bulges of the skull there are accumulations of nerve cells of the corresponding department responsible for one or another human quality.

The most dubious qualities are evidenced by the convex arch surrounding the ear:

Vi. "Predatory instincts, the ability to kill" (damn, these are the only bulges on my skull, I think they all)



In the second half of the 19th century, phrenology began to be called "pseudoscience". And this name justifies itself, it seems.

Physiognomy and phrenology became the forerunnerscriminal anthropology, a doctrine often associated with the work of the Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso (1835 - 1909) and his students.

Lombroso believed that criminals have anomalies of internal and externalanatomical structures characteristic of primitive people andgreat apes.

From the first edition of his essay on a criminal man, Lombroso clearly distinguishes him from the mentally ill. The born criminal is a special kind of the human race. Lombroso initially recognized one general type of born criminal; then he began to recognize three of them: the type of murderer, thief and rapist. Two other leaders of the anthropological school speak of the same three types. Enrico Ferri and Garofalo :

1. Murderers are usually distinguished by glassy, \u200b\u200bcold eyes, bloodshot, a large, often aquiline, curved nose, developed fangs, jaws and cheekbones.

2. Pro thieves Lombroso says that they have a special mobility of the face and hands, wandering small eyes, shifted eyebrows, a sparse beard, protruding auricle, set at an angle, crooked, sunken, sometimes snub-nosed noses.

3. Abusers, are distinguished by shiny eyes, puffy lips, feminine body movements, a broken or hoarse voice.

Natural-born criminals are also distinguished by a relatively large face size compared to the rest of the skull, which is seen as a sign of a relatively lower organic structure.

In a work on women, he expressed the opinion that criminals are superior in brutality to male criminals, but are less common.



Inborn criminals combine moral callousness and insensitivity with hindsight, due to which they are inaccessible to the influence of the threat of the criminal law, lack of moral feeling, repentance and remorse, as well as a highly developed vanity that surpasses even the vanity of artists and writers, revenge and special pride. The passions of born criminals - love, passion for the game, for delicious food - are distinguished by their unbridled, inconstancy and violence. Even noble feelings and inclinations in many of them take on a painful character and are characterized by instability. In addition, natural-born criminals tend to get tattooed. “In addition to the great prevalence,” says Lombroso, “the very nature of the content of tattoos is striking: shamelessness, bragging about a crime and a strange contrast of bad passions, along with tender feelings.


Insufficient sensitivity and great visual acuity bring criminals closer to savages. The sense of smell in criminals is very sharp, especially in criminals against sexual morality, but the taste is somewhat dull.

A born criminal is usually left-handed, and his right brain works more than the left.

And there is a peculiarity in the gait of a born criminal: his left step is longer than the right one and, in addition, the left foot forms a greater angle with the center line than the right; the same features are seen in epileptics.

Of particular importance is Lombroso and his school of insensitivity to pain of born criminals, and in general their reduced sensitivity.

“I saw,” says Lombroso, “how two murderers, who hated each other for a long time and denounced each other, fought on a walk, and one bit the other's lip, and he pulled out the enemy's hair; both then complained not about their wounds, which entailed grave consequences, but about the fact that they had failed to finish their revenge. "

Analgesia, Lombroso believes, explains that criminals are relatively durable. Lombroso and Ferry also use it to explain the underdevelopment of compassion among criminals.



Born criminal , according to the teachings of Lombroso, is, first of all, anatomical and physiological type, i.e. a subject marked by a number of peculiar anatomical and physiological features. Lombroso and his school find a number of characteristic anomalies in all parts of his body. They measure the criminal literally from head to toe and find features everywhere. Some of these features are external in nature and are determined directly by measuring the corresponding part of the body on living and dead people, others are hidden inside the body and are detected during autopsy.

At the same time, there is no definite system in the enumeration of the distinctive features of the anatomy of a born criminal. In disorder, signs of the most diverse anatomical and biological significance are presented.

Inborn criminals are often observed: asymmetry of the skull, short forehead, protruding profile, various deviations in the shape of the cranial and facial bones.

Lombroso identified the following main features inherent in natural-born criminals:

  • Unusually small or large stature
  • Small head and big face
  • Low and sloping forehead
  • Lack of a clear border of hair growth
  • Wrinkles on the forehead and face
  • Large nostrils or a bumpy face
  • Large, protruding ears
  • Protrusions on the skull, especially in the "center of destruction" area above the left ear, on the back of the head and around the ears
  • High cheekbones
  • Lush eyebrows and large eye sockets with deep-set eyes
  • Crooked or flat nose
  • Jaw protruding
  • Fleshy lower and thin upper lip
  • Pronounced incisors and generally abnormal lips
  • Small chin
  • Thin neck, sloping shoulders with a wide chest
  • Long arms, thin fingers

In general, everyone who is terrible, in his opinion, is also dangerous.

Critics rightly pointed out that similar features exist in law-abiding individuals, and there is no statistical difference in the frequency of their occurrence.

In view of this, in the later works of Lombroso himself and his students, in addition to criminals who commit crimes due to biological predisposition, there are also those who can violate the law under the influence of life circumstances - random criminals or potential ones.

Lombroso's theory was practically completely abandoned and emphasized the insanity of criminals. As a result, at the beginning of the 20th century psychiatric hospitals were filled with all kinds of people, both guilty and accidental, and the methods of treatment were, to put it mildly, not mild. As, for example, in the book "Over the Cuckoo's Nest".



And as measures that needed to be taken only to preventcommitting crimes, supporters of this theory - German psychiatrist Ernst Kretschmer, American criminologistsWilliam Sheldon,Eleanor Gluck offeredhormone therapy, as well as placing potential criminals in special camps, where they will be taught the skills of socially beneficial behavior ...



Along with the. attempts were made to make criminal behavior dependent onconstitutional type of person (body type), which, in turn, was associated with the work of the endocrine glands. Three main somatic types were distinguished:

  • Endomorphic - a tendency toobesity, soft roundness of the body, short and thin limbs, thin bones, smooth skin; a relaxed person with an increased level of comfort, loves luxury,extrovert.
  • Mesomorphic - the predominance of muscles, bones and the musculoskeletal system, a large torso, a wide chest, large palms and arms, a dense physique; active, aggressive and unrestrained personality type.
  • Ectomorphic - predominance of skin, fragile body, thin bones, sloping shoulders, small face, pointed nose, thin hair; sensitive type cattention disorders andinsomnia, skin problems andallergies.

Although each person shares some of the characteristics of all three of these types, it was believed that criminals have the greatest signs of the mesomorphic type are expressed.

Since then, many more theories have been applied, but the true cause and relationship has not been accurately established.


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