Criminality and facial deformity - linked?

[Miss Inquiry]

Not sure where to put this question - In the light of maddies dissapearance and the british press now pointing the finger at this British guy, I started to feel a bit uneasy, there is nothing concrete linking him yet, but I remember reading articles at university about the effects of facial disfigurment, stigmatisation and criminality. (This guy has reportedly lost an eye). I am certainly not saying that if you have a facial scars you are 100% going to be a criminal, but you often read that the culprits may have facial scars or a difigurement. Can anyone think where this theory is sadly proven?

[Gromit]

Not really an answer to your question, But James Bond's villainous adversaries usually have a deformity of some sort.

[Joe_the_Lion]

Look up the work of Cesare Lombroso. I am sure you will find him interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Lombroso

I think Hollywood make a meal out of it. Much has to do with the "Pyschology of disgust", insofar as we want them to be abnormal, as to detract from our own normal existence.

[WaldoMcFroog]

It's called "Physiognomy", and it's very much disproved. Nowadays it's just regarded as pseudoscience, but it quite regarded for a long time and was still big right into the early years of this century. Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' relies upon the notion for its central conceit.

[Miss Inquiry]

Thanks Joe, I studied criminology @ Uni and have come across his work before, but I had stored it somewhere deep in my brain and totally forgot about it. Going to go home later and dig out my old books. Thanks again.

[Joe_the_Lion]

Did you go to Keele?

[Miss Inquiry]

No I studied in wales.

[joko]

there was a time when the clearly mentally retarded where considered more likely to commit crimes (i'm talking mediaeval etc) and were always blamed.
there was a fear that the devil had made them that way and therefore they must have an inherrent evil.

perhaps even now there is some underlying subconscious sense of this - that they perhaps haven't the mental capacity to tell right from wrong or are easily lead into a life of crime.

even now it is sometimes easy to tell when someone has some sort of mental disabilty just by their face.

in terms of disfugurement by injury rather than birth, i think this is a cliche -'' to be facially scarred you must have been up to no good ...''

and as has been mentioned its a hollywood favourite.

also, we like to think we can tell what a person is like by reading their face, their expressions etc - if something is preventing this, and making those expressions hard to read, perhaps we get an underlying sense of mistrust, however irrational and subconscious

it is an interesting subject

[NikkiB]

I used to have a Victorian book on criminal science, such as it existed back then. Certain physical characteristics were associated with violent behavior:
Detached earlobes (I have these)
Whirly fingerprint pattern
Stumpy fingers
Wiry hair
A lot of credence was given to phrenology also.