Appearance and portrait of the criminal

Temperament and portrait largely determine the behavior and, consequently, the fate of a person. Here we consider the appearance of men as the main carriers of crime. Although, it is believed that any character traits, including criminal ones, are most stable in a woman, since she is a “permanent” memory of mankind, while a man is an “operational” memory. No one more than a woman can disguise an evil inclination in herself, behind a beautiful appearance - a cold heart, behind wet eyes with a veil - ruthlessness. An artist-dancer of the Orenburg Theater of Musical Comedy laundered the instrument of crime from blood - a tourist hatchet, with which her husband Ionesyan, an artist of the same theater, killed victims, including children, penetrating into apartments under the guise of an employee of Mosgaz. Conscious of their evil inclination, women more often than men, being potential criminals, do not succumb to the call of fate and follow the “religious line”, becoming soothsayers, fortune-tellers, healers like the former Komsomol member and failed doomsday prophet Masha Tsvigun from the White Brotherhood.

As a rule, the criminal past and the present are felt in the face and manner of behavior. In older people, the past leaves distinct traces 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 experienced in the art of hypocrisy. The higher the development, the more differentiated are the muscles of the face, making it possible to convey or mask moods and thoughts. If a person is tuned in to something, is really concerned about something, this is reflected in his appearance. Aside from the heavy mandible, cleft chin, and sharp facial wrinkles, the biggest overpowering effect comes from the look of the criminal, which, like nothing else, shows who one had to face. The look corresponds to the character of a person, but more often it is consciously developed to suppress not only the victims, but also their environment.

The criminal sometimes hides under the guise of an exquisite, refined and well-mannered person who graduated from the university, speaks English, is 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 Moreau-Christophe's book "The World of Swindlers". Try to evaluate yourself and those around you according to the described portraits.

By temperament, people, as you know, are different.

Cholerics have a bilious temperament. The destiny 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 passions. They have a bold and daring appearance, shining eyes, a lean face, black hair, a strong but not stout physique, strong muscles, a thin figure. Often they are frequenters of the prison, or at least they are predisposed to such actions that should lead them there.

Melancholy 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. In appearance they seem weak, but they have remarkable strength. Suspicious, unsure of themselves, jealous, envious. The imagination retains in memory the most insignificant impressions; 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 portly body and thick, albeit weak, muscles, leisurely movements. Due to laziness, they are moderate in vices, as well as in everything else - in virtue, feelings, thoughts. They are only looking for peace. Criminals, from whom energy and dynamics are required, are rare and then forced.

Sanguine even less dangerous than phlegmatic. Always excited, prone to vivid impressions, carried away, easily consoled 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 small stature and corpulence, proportional build, fresh and cheerful face, lively eyes, soft and delicate skin. Generally light and agile.

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

Square - energy, firmness, confidence;

Round - initiative, speed of reaction, courtesy;

Oval - mental alertness, flexibility, independence;

Triangular - mind, resourcefulness, cunning.

Face It is the only part of the human body that is enlivened 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 seal on the face, twitches the muscles, obscures the eyes, beauty is replaced by ugliness, and a rogue, a thief, a murderer is revealed.

It is difficult to judge the personality of a person by facial features, but a preliminary impression can be made by clarifying later, if possible, by analyzing behavior, verbal and non-verbal characteristics. The upper part of the face is thinking ability, middle - spiritual, sensual qualities - 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. Narrow face - indecision; the bulk of the face is located above the nose - a person has great mental energy. He will not be pissed off by small and even large failures. Pointed profile - insight. A face that expands from the mouth to the ears and then narrows - greed.

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

Prominent in the middle is the analyst's forehead;

Convex at the temples - a subtle mind and cunning;

Straight, tall, narrow - undeveloped imagination, slow-witted, but firmness of character and consistency of actions;

Beveled back - quick wit, wit, practical orientation.

Hair:

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

Hard, curly - a strong character, a serious mind, a heavy disposition;

Straight, thick - a rough, stupid mind;

Blond - sensitivity and tenderness;

Chestnut, black - energy, passion, voluptuousness;

Red - irritability, irascibility, anger;

Redheads - extreme viciousness or the greatest kindness;

Thick hair - strength, firmness, courage, cruelty;

Sparse hair - weakness, tenderness, cowardice;

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

Brows:

Approximate to each other, thick and overhanging determine a powerful mind, strength, energy, firmness;

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

Eyes.

What epithets they give to 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, ​​cold, absent, in love, laughing, crying. In fact, 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:

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

Round, small - insight, cunning, anger, mockery, unreliability, superficiality, susceptibility to influence;

A low upper eyelid that extends over the pupil is a lack of analytical abilities; the upper eyelid is not visible - a strong analyst.

Eye position:

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

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

Eye expression:

Lively, clear and brilliant - kindness, timidity and weakness of the mind;

Inexpressive, dull - low prudence, inability to emotional unrest.

Eye color:

Black, brown - courage and fortitude;

Blue - on the contrary;

Greenish - ardor, irascibility, courage, courage;

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

Eyelashes are thick, eyelids are not open enough - 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 food;

Flattened, inclined to the lip - gluttony and voluptuousness;

Dumb and short - a simple mind, easily deceived;

Small, thin, mobile - mockery;

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

Upturned - credulity, a tendency to obey.

Correct outlines - a strong, judicious mind;

Compressed, straight narrow lips - coldness, practicality, a tendency to acquisitiveness, stinginess, love of order;

Open - stupidity;

Thick lips - kindness, frankness;

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

Shortened lips - stinginess, greed, greed;

Raised upper lip - kindness or weakness of the mind;

A drooping lower lip is a high mind;

The fleshy lower lip is passion (which is why women love to paint it on themselves, trying to deceive with excessive 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 gum - phlegmatic, coldness.

Large, wide, thick - stupidity, a penchant for practical matters;

Not very big - intelligence, inner weakness;

Motionless - coldness, selfishness;

Saggy, mobile, thin - a sharp mind, courage, independence.

Chin:

Round with a hollow - kindness;

Soft, fleshy, forked - sensuality;

Wide, flat - coldness, selfishness, pugnacity;

Angular - smart, dexterous;

Fat, fat - stupidity;

Cut back - weakness of moral qualities;

Protruding forward, pointed - courage, sarcasm, stubbornness;

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

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

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

CONCLUSIONS

1. Recognizing a person is difficult, almost impossible. Monstrous selfishness, often covered with refined charm, hides the intentions of the criminal. Therefore, the above features can only become auxiliary material, using which in a criminal situation, the victim can try to find the spiritual strings of the criminal, on which to play.

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

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

§ 7. The subject of the crime and the personality of the offender Each person who has committed a crime is the bearer of many socially significant qualities. Of these, only age, sanity and, in some cases, signs of special

Chapter III. Identity of the perpetrator

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2. The main features of the criminal's personality Let's consider some features of the criminological characteristics of the criminal's personality, primarily socio-demographic. Studying and taking into account the criminological characteristics of a person will make it possible to establish specific differences

4. Formation of the personality of a criminal

4. Psychological portrait of Basaev Psychological portraits (profiles) of individual personality types can be useful in various areas of social practice, including in the fight against crime. Such portraits make it possible to identify the leading personality traits of a certain

Chapter 6. Portrait of a thief in a modern interior “First of all, one should not be poor” Talleyrand Psychological portraits of thieves and thieving figures We said that beggars and thieves predominate in our society. But there is another approach that allows us to highlight in today's

PSYCHO-PHYSICAL PORTRAIT OF THE AVERAGE STATISTICAL PROFESSIONAL LAWYER AND HIS SPECIFIC FEATURES

Article 118

Article 124

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

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. A description drawn up for the purpose of identifying a person by the characteristics of his appearance and identification, it is customary to call forensic.

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

Thus, the description can be carried out with direct observation of a person (from nature), as well as from the words of an eyewitness. At the same time, the eyewitness reproduces in verbal form his idea of ​​​​this person, that is, from memory. The description can be performed when studying the appearance of a person captured in a photograph, video frame, subjective portrait. The description can also be drawn up by studying the signs of the appearance of the deceased, dead person by his death mask, graphic or plastic reconstruction of the face from the skull.

The reliability of displaying the signs of appearance, fixed with the help of a description, is greater when it is performed from nature, that is, it is of a direct nature. A mediated description, compiled from the words of a person who observed the described person, is considered less reliable.

At the same time, such a circumstance as possession of a methodology for compiling a forensic description is important. If the subject of the description does not own such a technique, his description as a means of fixing the external appearance of a person will not be complete and reliable. In turn, the possession of the methodology allows the subject of the description to fix quite fully and reliably the signs of the appearance of the person being described.

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 primacy or repetition of the description, the place where the description was written, its time period and origin.

The content of information recorded in the form of a description is affected by: the laws of the process of human perception, the preservation of the formed idea; the 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 multiplicity of forms of transformation of initial ideas, the possibility of losing part of the impressions and modifying those that have survived.

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

The difficulty comes from the fact that the individuality of a person's appearance is difficult to convey in ordinary words, with the exception, of course, of 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 same value at different people, which depends on many individual characteristics of the compilers of the description.

The quality of the description is influenced by its type - an oral story or a written presentation. A written description may differ in its 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, a written description may be shorter than an oral one, it may lack essential details that, in the opinion of the subject of the description, are of no interest.

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

The place where the description was written is understood as an ethnographically isolated territory where the compiler of the description lives and works. Depending on this, the subject of the description involuntarily develops an idea of ​​the norm of a sign of appearance for the population surrounding him. This norm depends on the anthropological composition of the population of a given area. Therefore, there is a certain relationship between the individual idea of ​​the norm of signs of appearance 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, must be known in order to take them into account when analyzing changes that can occur over a significant length of this period.

The origin of the description, the circumstances under 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 course of activities 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 opportunity to systematically and without difficulty observe a person and compose a description of him (for example, registering a person according to the signs of his appearance). In the second case, the description is usually compiled some time after the observation, and not by the eyewitness himself, but by another person, most often an employee of the internal affairs body.

The reliability of the description, compiled by an eyewitness or from his words, is significantly affected by the conditions of observation of the object. The short duration of observation and other hampering conditions reduce the level of correspondence between the description and 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, as it is based on features that were specially studied for their consolidation during the registration process. In addition, such descriptions must be reliable, i.e., accurately reflect the established signs of appearance, since they are compiled by operatives on the basis of personal observations or verified reports of other persons, and should not include data on supposedly established signs.

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

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

Definiteness of description is evaluated from the standpoint of its unambiguous or multi-valued understanding. An unambiguous description clearly defines a feature variant, a multi-valued description allows several options. Usually, information with a low degree of certainty is found in descriptions of the features of the appearance of unknown persons. The analysis of the degree of certainty of the description is carried out taking into account information about the personality of the subject of the description and the form of description used. The less certainty of the description, the lower the qualification of its compiler, the worse the conditions for perceiving the external appearance. In an ordered description, the degree of certainty can be analyzed; an arbitrary description allows words and expressions that are not in themselves well-defined.

When evaluating 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 systematized, or ordered.

Arbitrary description conveys all the features of the story about the appearance of a person and most often occurs during interviews, interrogations of witnesses, victims. It can also be given in documents drawn up in the course of operational-search activities. Such a description may contain characteristic features of the described person. It is distinguished by the use of everyday terminology, as they say, vernacular. Sometimes in the descriptions there are words and expressions that are characteristic of a certain, sometimes narrow group of people - local dialects. The characteristics contained in an arbitrary description can be both apt and extremely inaccurate, therefore, according to 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 it put into the word may not be the same.

Since the description is to be used as a source of forensic information, it has to be converted to orderly, i.e. compiled according to certain rules and using a single terminology 1 .

The ordered description is produced according to the following rules.

• 1. The definition 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. The description of the elements of appearance is compiled in a certain order - according to the principle from top to bottom.
• 4. Elements of appearance are characterized both in front and in profile.
• 5. When describing the elements of appearance, their characteristics are indicated: shape (contour), size, position, color, severity, as well as symmetry.
• 6. In the 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 manuals are used, in which common words and expressions that are often found in arbitrary descriptions are correlated with their most probable 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 during operational-search activities, criminal registration, investigative actions, and forensic portrait examination.

When carrying out operational-search activities, this description is used to fix the 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 from a large group of people. These features include, firstly, those that are visible from afar, less than others depend on the conditions of observation (they can be called orienting features), and secondly, the most characteristic of the appearance of a given person (they can be called dominant features).

Since the appearance of almost every person is dominated by signs of an average value, one should: pay attention to the proportions of the face and its elements; 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, usually to one degree or another inherent in all people.

An operational officer, when compiling a description of a person that 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 reflect all the signs indicated on the form of the corresponding document. If it is difficult to determine the characteristic, all possible variants of it should be indicated.

ant to avoid loss of information. In cases of searching for a missing person, signs of clothing, shoes and small wearable items are found out and described immediately upon receipt of a statement 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, its color are indicated. Brands and hallmarks of manufacturers, signs of wear, repair are subject to description. The location, size and shape of large defects are described. If there are remnants of the material from which the missing person sewed his coat, suit or other clothing, then samples of these fabrics are attached.

When preparing a presentation for identification great importance has a description of the signs of appearance, recorded in the protocol of the preliminary interrogation. According to this description, it is determined what external signs 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, and special signs. The results of the identification cannot be recognized as justified if the identifying person indicated such signs and signs, which, due to their uncertainty, are not sufficient 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 the features of the face, the structure of the nose, mouth”, etc. is inadmissible. It is required to single out and indicate such values ​​of signs that differ from the so-called averages and in their totality individualize the identifiable person.

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

In the protocol of presentation for identification, the testimony of the identifying person, if possible, is stated verbatim, i.e., 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, no Full description external appearance of the examined person, 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 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 in establishing the cause of death. Usually, the description of the 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 photographing require a detailed fixation of the signs of appearance in full and according to the rules of forensic description. The description must reflect the totality of features that individualize the deceased (deceased).

A certain specificity has a description of the signs of appearance during a forensic portrait examination. The description of the signs of appearance should be as detailed as the images submitted for examination allow. In expert portrait identification, not all elements and signs of appearance are used, but only those that have been reliably displayed in portraits.

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

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

In the course of a preliminary study of images, descriptions and signs of accompanying elements of appearance are also performed - clothing, wearable items, jewelry.

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

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

The head and face of a person are studied as a whole. Their separate parts and elements are also 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 frontal contour, proportions and relative sizes of its parts.

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

The description of the features of the elements of appearance is carried out 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 signs 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 separate research, the anatomical elements of the appearance are studied and described using the method of verbal portrait. First, the features are determined as they appear in the portrait. Then, taking into account the factors influencing their display, the severity of signs under normal conditions is established. These are considered to be the conditions of signaletic photography.

On the stage comparative study the description records the results of a comparison of the features of appearance identified during a separate study, and such a description is limited only to comparable features. When listing coincidences and differences, they are named and explained in what, in what gradations the coincidence and difference of signs consist.

At the final stage, the different features should be described in detail. A detailed description of the matching features is not necessary, as they must be objectively and accurately presented in the illustrative part of the expert's report.

When verbally fixing the signs of appearance, they are guided by special rules included in the "verbal portrait".

Verbal portrait - this is a forensic method for describing a person's appearance using common terms, carried out according to certain system for the purpose of criminal registration, search and identification of living persons and corpses.

Principles of the verbal portrait method:

1. 1. consistency (determines the sequence (order) of the description);
   2. completeness (provides a detailed description).

Method for describing the signs of a person's appearance

1. Signs are fixed that characterize:

• • general physical elements of appearance: gender, age, nationality (anthropological type), height, physique;
  • anatomical features of individual areas of the body and elements;
  • functional features of related items.

2. The description of the signs of appearance is carried out according to the scheme "from general to particular" and "top - down":

• • overall figure,
  • head as a whole
  • face in general
  • separate elements of the face,
  • neck, shoulders, back, chest,
  • hands-legs.

3. Each of the anatomical elements is characterized by

• • form,
  • size,
  • position,
  • some are in color.

3.1. When describing the form, the name of geometric shapes (round, oval, rectangular, triangular, etc.) or geometric lines (straight, convex, winding, etc.) is used.

3.2. The description of the dimensions of the elements is given not in absolute terms, but in relation to other elements of the exterior. At the same time, its height, length, width, quantity, etc. are characterized. The gradation of values ​​is most often three-term: large, medium, small. Five-membered can also be used, with the addition of: very large and very small. With a seven-term gradation, they add: "above average", "below average". If there are doubts about the size characteristic, then it is indicated in two values: "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, beveled inward, etc.), as well as by mutual position (fused, separate).

3.4. Characterized by color (black, dark blond, light blond, blond, red, gray); eyes (black, brown, grey, etc.) and sometimes skin color (very red, yellow, bluish-red nose, birthmark color, 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 (full face);
  • side view (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, grimace), there should be no cosmetics, hair removed from the forehead and ears, glasses and a headdress removed (their description is given in the accompanying signs).

Scheme for describing external features using the "verbal portrait" method

Description of anatomical features

Floor: male, female.

Age. Installed:

1. 1. according to documents, if they are not in doubt;
   2. "in appearance" (indicating this circumstance and within certain limits: in appearance 25-30 years old, in appearance 50-60 years old, etc.);
   3. according to medical 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. This can be an anthropological type of appearance characteristic of a particular race (Caucasoid, Mongoloid, Negroid, etc.) or a comparative definition of the type in relation to our country: European type, Caucasian, Central Asian, Mongolian, etc.

Overall figure

Growth is most often determined by a three-term gradation:

• low (for men up to 160 cm),
• medium (for men from 160 cm to 170 cm),
• high (for men over 170 cm).

Permissible characteristic: very low, very high. If data of anthropometric measurements are available or can be obtained (medical record, etc.), then the height is indicated in absolute terms.

For women, these figures apply for each category 10 cm less.

The physique is characterized depending on the development of the musculoskeletal system and the degree of body fat. There are physique: weak, very weak, medium, stocky, athletic.

According to the degree of fatness, a person can be characterized by the following features: thin, thin, average fatness, full (features - very thin, very full - "fat").

Description of functional features

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

Gait - 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 elements of gait as step length (left, right), step width, step angle, turn angle, and feet. Therefore, when describing the gait, the step size (long, short) is noted. Step width (narrow or short spacing of the feet, setting of the feet when walking (toes out, toes in, parallel), pace (fast, slow), appearance (gait is soft, heavy, staggering, waggling, bouncing, mincing, wobbling). also lameness, dragging of the leg, position of the arms when walking (waving arms, hands in pockets, laid behind) Gait may change under the influence of diseases of the legs, nervous system suffered head injuries.

Gesticulation 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 more expressiveness. When describing gestures, its tempo (fast, slow), expressiveness (live, energetic, sluggish), the nature of gestures and their content (indicative, pictorial, etc.) are recorded.

Mimicry is the movement of muscles and facial elements that change its expression depending on the emotional state of a person or his desire. It can be very developed or unimpressive. Usually, the most pronounced and familiar facial expressions are noted (raising the eyebrows, biting the lips, winks, etc.).

Speech - in relation to it, both data related to speech itself and data of the speech mechanism are characterized. In the first case, the languages ​​spoken by a person are noted, and which of them is native to him, dialect or adverb, accent, pronunciation features, construction of phrases, use of slang words, clogged speech (“here”, “you understand”, etc.) .).

In a relationship speech mechanism note the pace (slow, fast), character (speech is calm, excited), features of speech (burr, lisp, nasal, etc.). The voice is characterized by timbre (bass, baritone, tenor, alto, treble), strength (weak, medium, strong) and purity (clear, hoarse, deaf, 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, stepping from foot to foot, lighting, greeting, etc.).

Description of related elements and their features

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

Word portrait- a method for describing the appearance of a person (most often a criminal) based on an algorithm for describing a standardized set of characteristics.

The verbal portrait technique was proposed at the end of the 19th century by Alphonse Bertillon.

Rules for describing a person's appearance

An ordered description is carried out according to the rules developed by forensic science for describing a person's appearance. They are based on such fundamental provisions as the systematic reflection of signs, i.e. a consistent description of all groups of signs of a person’s appearance developed by forensics (general physical, signs of the structure of individual elements of appearance, functional, etc.), the completeness of their description (reflection of the greatest possible number of signs of a person’s appearance), the use of a single terminology, and are as follows.

1. In the course of compiling an ordered description, the following are consistently reflected:

• anatomical signs of a person's appearance: gender, age, nationality, height, physique, as well as signs of the structure of individual elements of a person's appearance, for example: when describing the head, its height (medium, large or small), shape (rounded, domed, keeled, etc.) are described, features are noted, etc.;
• functional signs such as posture, gait, gestures, etc.,
• related features, for example: clothing, accessories, etc.;
• special signs, for example: the presence of a hump, the constant wearing of a wig, etc.

2. Any of the elements of appearance is described according to the following scheme: from general to particular and from top to bottom, for example: when describing a face, first the characteristics of the face as a whole are given (general configuration, fullness, facial features in general), then signs of the scalp are noted ( hair length, hairline, density, appearance, etc.), then the features characterizing the forehead, eyebrows, eyes, etc. are successively described.

3. In the description, if necessary, the names of geometric lines (straight, curved, etc.) and shapes (oval, rectangular, etc.) are used.

4. The dimensions of the described elements must be considered and described in relation to other external elements and characterized by width, length, height, depth, quantity, etc.

5. The relative position of the elements of the exterior, their position is determined relative to the vertical or horizontal planes of the body (vertical, inclined, horizontal, etc.).

6. When describing the color of the eyes, hair and other anatomical features of a person's appearance (pigmented and birthmarks, moles, acne, etc.), as well as related signs, coloristic (color) terminology is used, for example: red acne, black eyebrows, redheads hair, black pants, etc.

7. In the description, common concepts and terms generally accepted in the verbal portrait method are used. Significant assistance in this can be provided by the classification of anatomical and general physical elements of the signs of a person's appearance with a unified terminology of a verbal portrait, developed by specialists from the All-Russian Research Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR.

8. Elements of appearance are reflected in the front view (full face) and side view (right profile), in the position of a person standing to his full height, with calm features, a look directed forward.

In accordance with these rules and taking into account the features of the description of the identified signs, a verbal portrait of a person is compiled.

Features of describing a person's appearance using the method of verbal portrait

Description of the anatomical features of a person's appearance

Floor: male, female.

Age. Determined by documents, if their authenticity is not in doubt; in their absence or inaccessibility - “in appearance”, which is necessarily reflected in the description or according to the results of the survey.

Nationality. It is indicated “in appearance”, for example, similar to an Uzbek, Azerbaijani, etc., or on the basis of documents reflecting the citizenship of this person (passport, etc.). Belonging to a particular race can also be indicated, which is also determined “in appearance” (Negroid, Mongoloid, etc.).

Growth. If possible, it is indicated in absolute numbers, for example, when describing a corpse, in other cases - in relative ones, for example: about seventy meters. Human height is measured from the high point crown to soles of bare feet. When describing, the following terms can be used: very low (less than 150 cm), very high (more than 190 cm).

Body type. It is determined by the degree of development of the human musculoskeletal system, taking into account the fat layer and is characterized as thin, dense, stocky, athletic, etc.

Rice. 1. Shapes of the head. (a - rectangular; b - rhomboid; c - keeled; d - trapezoid)

Rice. 5. Eye (1 - eyebrow, 2 - upper eyelid, 3 - outer corner of the eye, 4, 8 - albuginea, 5 - lower eyelid, 6 - pupil, 7 - eyelashes, 9 - inner corner of the eye, 10 - lacrimal caruncle, 11 - eyelashes, 12 - iris)

Rice. 2. Shapes of the face (a - oval; b - round; c - rectangular; d - triangular; e - diamond-shaped)

Rice. 6. Nose (1. Bridge, 2. Back, 3. Tip, 4. Base, 5. Wings, 6. Nostril)

Rice. 3. Mustache (a - high position; b - medium position; c - low position)

Rice. 4. Forehead. (a - vertical; b - oblique; c - tilted forward; d - high; e - medium; e - low)

Rice. 7. Lips (a - thin; b - medium; c - thick)

Fig.8. Ear. 1 - tubercle (Darwin), 2 - curl, 3 - antihelix, 4 - ear cavity, 5 - antitragus, 6 - lobe, 7 - external auditory canal, 8 - tragus

Rice. 9. Wrinkles

Leather. It is described by appearance (the relief allows you to define it as smooth, matte, wrinkled, porous, veined, etc.), condition (clean, dirty, acne, pimply, etc.), color (pink, dark, gray, yellow, etc.) and features (presence of warts, age spots, freckles, etc.).

Head. It is described by height (relative to a person's height - small, medium, large) and shape (according to the silhouette - rounded, domed, ovoid, keeled, flattened); if available, features may be noted, expressed in significant deviations from the extreme values ​​of the indicated signs (see Fig. 1).

Face. Can be characterized by configuration (round, oval, triangular, square, etc.), fullness (thin, full, puffy), height and width (medium, narrow, wide), facial features in general (medium, large, small ) (see Fig. 2).

Hairstyle. It is described by the length of the hair (medium - in men over 2 cm, in women the hair covers the neck; long - in men the hair covers the neck, in women - below the shoulders; short - in men - up to 2 cm, in women - do not cover the neck), hairline (arched, curvy, angular, asymmetrical, etc.), hair density (thick, sparse, etc.), type of hair (combed, uncombed, oily, dandruff, etc.) and the presence features (tinted, bleached, wig, hairpiece, etc.).

Vegetation on the face. In men, the presence of sideburns, mustaches, beards, stubble can be noted (at the same time, their shape, size, color, density, etc. are described), and in women, excessive hair growth above the upper lip and on the chin (see Fig. 3 ).

Wrinkles and folds in the skin. Their contour is noted (straight, arcuate, etc.), depth (according to the relief - deep or shallow), length (in length relative to the element of the face on which they are located, they can be described as long, short and medium), location - frontal, interbrow, external or internal orbital and other wrinkles, cheek, chin and other folds, relative position and number (single, multiple, double, etc.) (see Fig. 9).

Forehead. Its shape is described (flat, convex, sinuous, etc.), height (determined relative to the height of the face, as high, medium and low), width, frontal tubercles, superciliary arches, features, i.e. deviations of the forehead structure from the norm, such as the oblique frontal bone, the presence of a tumor, the absence of superciliary ridges, etc. (see Fig. 4).

Brows. When describing them, their contour is noted (straight, arcuate, sinuous, broken, etc.), length (determined relative to the length of the palpebral fissure), density, color, features (asymmetric, bushy, plucked, drawn, tinted, etc. ).

Eyes. Among the signs of the eyes, the following stand out: the structure of the palpebral fissure (almond-shaped, oval, round, slit-like, etc.), the color of the iris (dark and light of different colors), features (various anomalies and pathological changes - widely spaced, asymmetric, oblique, multi-colored, reddened, with a thorn, cataract, etc.) and other signs (see Fig. 5).

Eyelashes. Their severity (thick, long or short, rare) and features (colorless, elongated, fluffy, painted, etc.) are noted.

eyelids. They are described by their position (medium, asymmetric, etc.), the shape and severity of the undereye bags (convex, folded, strongly pronounced, etc.), features (cosmetic design, sagging of the folds of the upper or lower eyelid, etc.). ).

Cheekbones and cheeks. The degree of their protrusion forward, the shape and features of the cheeks (plump, sagging, streaked, tinted, etc.) are noted.

Nose. Its individual elements are considered - the bridge of the nose, the back of the nose, the base of the nose, its tip, the wings of the nose, the nostrils, the nasal septum, the nasolabial notch, according to the following features: size, size, width, contour, features, and others (see Fig. 6).

Mouth, lips, teeth. It is important to describe the size, contour, position of the corners of the mouth, the border of the lips, their features, the size and contour of the dentition, the type of bite, defects in the teeth, the color of the enamel and other signs (see Fig. 7).

Chin. Described by height, width, protrusion, contour, and features (wrinkled, forked, dimpled, pendulous, etc.).

Ear shells. The signs that distinguish the auricles are of particular identification value: size, position, protrusion, shape and contour, as well as signs of its private elements, such as a curl, antihelix, tragus, antitragus, intertragus notch and lobe. Wherein highest value have features of these signs, described taking into account atypical manifestations (see Fig. 8).

Neck. It is described by height (its visible part is determined from the chin to the shoulders in relation to the height of the face and can be characterized as medium, long or short), thickness (it is also determined from the front according to the ratio of its visible area to the width of the lower part of the face as thick, medium and thin ), position (in profile, it is determined by the degree of deviation of the visible part of the neck from the vertical position and is characterized as straight, tilted forward or tilted back), type of skin surface (smooth, folded, fatty, muscular, etc.), features (it is noted for example "the presence of Adam's apple, goiter, etc.).

Shoulders. When describing them, the width is noted, which is determined by the ratio of the width of the shoulders and the pelvis, which is most noticeable when viewed from the front, and can be characterized as narrow, medium and wide, as well as their position relative to the horizontal (straight, lowered, raised) and features, i.e. e. noticeable deviations from the criteria noted above, or skewedness, excessive thinness, roundness, etc.

Torso. In general, it is described by length (determined by the distance from the base of the neck to the pubis and is characterized as medium - approximately equal to the length of the leg, long - noticeably exceeding the length of the leg, short) and structural features, which can be noted as values ​​that differ significantly from those indicated above and described as huge, small, skewed.

Breast. The shape can be noted (when viewed in profile, a convexity or hollowness of the chest is noticeable, in contrast to the flat one that is most common), width (considered relative to the width of the pelvis) and features (strong protrusion of the muscles, mammary glands, pathological deformities of the chest, etc. .).

Stomach. The protrusion of this part of the body relative to the plane of the chest can be described as medium, large, small. Additionally, the abdomen can be characterized as pendulous, muscular, smooth, etc.

Back. The shape, contour or features of the back are also noticeable features that characterize a person's appearance. In this case, the shape of the back can be convex, i.e. stooped or flat. The contour of the back is determined by similarity with such geometric shapes like trapezoid, rectangle, cone. The presence of a hump, strongly protruding shoulder blades, a noticeable curvature of the spine should be noted as features.

Waist. Can be described by length (long or short), width (medium, wide, narrow), position (high or low) and features (swollen, wasp, etc.).

Taz. Determined by its greatest width at the level hip joints and can be characterized as medium, wide, narrow, as well as female (in men, if the pelvis is wider than the shoulders), male (in women, if the pelvis is narrower than the shoulders).

Arms. Described by length (medium, long, short), thickness (thin, very thin, thick, very thick) and features characterized as muscular, bony, sinewy, paralyzed, atrophied, etc. Defects such as the absence of a hand or part of it, shortening of the hand, the presence of a prosthesis, etc., may be noted.

Brushes. Its length is measured from the wrist to the end of the middle finger and can be marked as medium, long and short in relation to the length of the forearm. The width of the hand is determined by the ratio of its length (excluding the length of the fingers) to the width of the palm. Features are also described, which are the unusual structure of the hand (noticeably distinguished in size - large, too small in size - small, resembling a triangle, quadrangle, etc.) or defects (absence of the hand, paralysis, curvature), as well as the presence of tattoos, calluses, scars, etc.

Fingers. When describing them, the length is noted, which is determined by the ratio of the length of the middle finger to the length of the brush (medium, long and short); thickness (their extreme values ​​are described, for example: very thin or very thick fingers) and structural features. The latter can be characterized as curved, thickened, knotty, hairy, tattooed, etc.; the presence of corns, scars, the absence of fingers or phalanges, etc. may be noted.

Nails. They can be characterized according to their different features: shape - curvature of the nail plate (convex and flat), relief - the appearance of its surface (smooth and ribbed), contour - the outlines of the nail (almond-shaped, rounded, rectangular, etc.), length and width nail plate, color (dull white, pink, yellowish, brownish, etc.), the size of the free edge - protrusion, and features - the presence of defects, unusual structure or condition (underdevelopment of nails, absence of part of the nail, curvature of the nail (nails) , very long, very short, stratified, ingrown, broken off or bitten, with a manicure, with a pedicure (on the legs), etc.).

Legs. As an element of a person's appearance, they are a noticeable part of it. According to the contour of the inner sides of the legs, their shape is determined (O-shaped, X-shaped, straight), in relation to the leg to the length of the body - the length, thickness of the legs is described in the case when they can be characterized as very thin or very thick. Describing the features of the structure of the legs, muscle development, type of skin or defects, the following characteristics can be given to this: muscular, bony, hairy, with tattoos, etc., the presence of a prosthesis, paralysis of the legs (legs), absence of a leg, shortening or thickening can also be noted some part of it, etc.

When identifying, other anatomical features of individual elements of a person's appearance can also be described.

Description of the functional features of a person's appearance

Posture. When describing this sign, it is necessary to reflect the habitual position of the head and body of a person. In this case, the head can be tilted to the right or left, or thrown back, drawn into the shoulders. Posture can be characterized as stooped, straight, hunched over, etc.

Gait. It is described by step size (long, short), step width (wide or narrow spacing of the feet, their setting when walking - noses inward, parallel or outward), pace (slow, fast), type (soft, heavy, minced, waddling, etc.). .d.). Features of the gait (limping, dragging the leg, shuffling of the legs, etc.), the position of the hands (waving the arms, etc.) when walking are also reflected in the description.

Gesticulation. There are features of the movement of the hands (picking the rosary, the edge of the clothes, the handkerchief) or the legs (stomping the heel of the foot or tapping the toe of the foot, etc.), accompanying the speech of a person or the expression of any feelings by him.

Mimic. When describing it, the most familiar and most vivid way of expressing certain feelings with the facial muscles of the face (smirk, puckering of the lips, squinting of the eyes, etc.) is reflected, as well as manifestations of facial expressions caused by certain diseases (for example, tick).

Speech. When describing it, the vocabulary, style, diction, physical defects of the speaker (nasal, lisp, burr, stuttering, etc.), dialect (okane or akanye, etc.), possession foreign languages, musical ability, use of slang words, etc.

Other identified functional features of a person's external appearance, for example, articulation, habits, etc., may also have significant identification value.

Description of accompanying signs of a person's appearance

Clothing. When describing clothing, it is necessary to indicate the signs that arose during its manufacture, as well as during use. Signs of manufacture are, for example: type, style, purpose of clothing, size, color, quality of material, type of fasteners, additional finishing, etc. When wearing clothes, there are signs that characterize the degree of wear and tear: abrasions, tears, changes in the original color, traces of repair, etc. alterations, as well as dirt stains, stable folds, creases, marks, etc.

Shoes. Shoes have features similar to clothes and are described according to the same criteria.

Accessories. First of all, these are items that are worn by their owners not constantly, but with varying degrees of frequency - umbrellas, bags, mobile phones, belts, jewelry, watches, rosaries, etc. Nevertheless, the identification significance of these signs is significant, because to. sometimes, in addition to supplementing the external appearance of their owner, identifying individual personality traits, they can also establish other circumstances of the crime event or the conditions for the disappearance of the wanted person, etc.

Description of special and catchy signs

Special and catchy signs are the most important identification features, and therefore must be characterized in detail and carefully described. These can be scars, tattoos, birthmarks, congenital and acquired deformities of certain parts of the body, that is, these are relatively rare signs that are visually easy to detect. When describing, it is important to note their location, color, size, shape, content (tattoos), severity, etc.

Photo from cyclowiki.org

Cesare Lombroso, an Italian psychiatrist and professor of forensic medicine of the 19th century, is often called the founder of criminal anthropology. This science tries to explain the relationship between the anatomical and physiological characteristics of a person and his propensity to commit crimes. Lombroso came to the conclusion that there is such a connection, and it is direct: crimes are committed by people with a certain appearance and character *.

As a rule, criminals have congenital physical and mental defects, Lombroso believed. We are talking about anomalies of the internal and external anatomical structure, characteristic of primitive people and great apes. Thus, criminals are not made, but born. Whether a person is a criminal or not depends only on an innate predisposition, and each type of crime has its own anomalies.

Lombroso devoted his entire life to developing this theory. He examined 383 skulls of the dead and 3839 skulls of living criminals. In addition, the scientist studied the characteristics of the body (pulse, temperature, bodily sensitivity, intelligence, habits, diseases, handwriting) of 26,886 criminals and 25,447 respectable citizens.

Appearance of criminals

Lombroso singled out a number of physical signs ("stigmata"), which, in his opinion, characterize a person endowed with criminal inclinations from birth. This is an irregular shape of the skull, a narrow and sloping forehead (or a bifurcated frontal bone), asymmetry of the face and eye sockets, overdeveloped jaws. Red criminals are extremely rare. Most often, brunettes and brown-haired people commit crimes. Brunettes prefer to steal or set fires, while brown-haired people are prone to murder. Blondes are sometimes found among rapists and scammers.

Appearance of a typical rapist

Big bulging eyes, plump lips, long eyelashes, flattened and crooked nose. Most often lean and rickety blondes, sometimes humpbacked.

Appearance of a typical thief

Irregular small skull, elongated head, straight nose (often upturned at the base), running or, on the contrary, tenacious eyes, black hair and a sparse beard.

Appearance of a typical killer

Large skull, short head (width more height), a sharp frontal sinus, voluminous cheekbones, a long nose (sometimes bent down), square jaws, huge eye orbits, a protruding quadrangular chin, a motionless glassy look, thin lips, well-developed fangs.

The most dangerous killers most often have black, curly hair, a sparse beard, short hands, excessively large or, conversely, too small earlobes.

Appearance of a typical scammer

The face is pale, the eyes are small, stern, the nose is crooked, the head is bald. In general, the appearance of scammers is quite good-natured.

Features of criminals

“I myself observed that during a thunderstorm, when seizures become more frequent in epileptics, prisoners in prison also become more dangerous: they tear their clothes, break furniture, beat ministers,” Lombroso wrote. In criminals, in his opinion, the sensitivity of the senses and pain sensitivity is reduced. They are not able to realize the immorality of their actions, therefore, repentance is unknown to them.

Lombroso was able to identify the features of the handwriting of various types of criminals. The handwriting of murderers, robbers and robbers is distinguished by elongated letters, curvilinear and definite features in the endings of letters. The handwriting of thieves is characterized by extended letters, without sharp outlines and curvilinear endings.

The nature and lifestyle of criminals

According to Lombroso's theory, criminals are characterized by a desire for vagrancy, shamelessness, laziness. Many of them have tattoos. For persons prone to crime, boasting, pretense, weakness of character, irritability, highly developed vanity bordering on megalomania, rapid mood swings, cowardice and painful irritability are characteristic. These people are aggressive, vengeful, they are not capable of repentance and are not tormented by remorse. Graphomania can also indicate criminal inclinations.

Lombroso believed that people from the lower class become murderers, robbers and rapists. Representatives of the middle and upper class are more likely to be professional scammers.

Criticism of Lombroso's theory

Even during the life of Lombroso, his theory was criticized. Not surprisingly, many senior government officials had an appearance that completely coincided with the description of born criminals. Many are sure that the scientist exaggerated the biological and completely did not take into account the social component in the cause of crime. Perhaps this is what forced Lombroso to reconsider some of his views towards the end of his life. In particular, he began to argue that the presence of a criminal appearance does not necessarily mean that a person has committed a crime - it rather speaks of his propensity for illegal acts. If a person of criminal appearance is well-off, he falls into the category of hidden criminals who have no external reason to break the law.

Lombroso's reputation suffered greatly when his ideas began to be used by the Nazis - they measured the skulls of concentration camp prisoners before they were sent to the ovens. AT Soviet period the doctrine of a born criminal has also been criticized for its contradiction to the principle of legality, anti-people and reactionary.

As far as we were able to find out, Lombroso's theory was never used in lawsuits - even the scientist himself did not see any practical value in it, as he said at one scientific dispute: "I work not in order to give my research applied application in the field of jurisprudence; in as a scientist, I serve science only for the sake of science." Nevertheless, the concept of a criminal person proposed by him came into use, and his developments are still used in physiognomy, criminal anthropology, sociology and psychology.

* The information is taken from the following books: Cesare Lombroso. "Criminal Man" Milgard. 2005; Mikhail Shterenshis. "Cesare Lombroso". IsraDon. 2010