Habitoscopy is a forensic doctrine of the external attributes of a person. Means and methods of habitoscopy

Habitoscopy is a science that serves as a tool in forensics to identify a person by its appearance. The description of the criminal, witness of the crime or the victim is compiled by an arbitrary method or using systematic techniques (special terminology, compositions of typical elements of a person and others). At present, computer methods for modeling appearance are also widely used.

general description

Habitoscopy is one of the sections of forensic science that uses the external features of a person to combat crime. The name of this term comes from two Latin words: habitus - "appearance" and skopeo - "to study."

The basis of forensic habitscopy are two of the most important properties - individuality and relative stability. Each of the people has its own unique appearance. Even in cases of significant similarity, distinctive features can always be found. Absolutely identical objects in the surrounding world do not exist. Differences in appearance are also present in monozygotic twins during the fertilization of the same egg.

Relative stability of appearance is understood as the property of preserving the characteristics of a person’s appearance for a certain period of time. The change in appearance occurs throughout the course of human life as a result of the growth of the body, during aging and after illness. However, such patterns of transformation are well studied and do not preclude the use of these data in forensics. The investigation of crimes is most often limited to procedural periods during which the appearance changes insignificantly (with the exception of cases of its intentional remodeling using means of cosmetology and surgery).

Subject of habitoscopy

The following are referred to subjects of habitoscopy in forensics:

• signs and properties of the appearance and structure of the body that can be used in the investigation of a crime;
• physiological principles of the formation and external expression of individual characteristics;
• methods and means of collecting, processing and applying these features in forensics;
• methods of portrait examination.

Tasks

All tasks of habitoscopy are classified into 3 groups:

1. The main goal is the development and improvement of methods and techniques for using the signs and properties of appearance in the investigation of crimes.
2. Common tasks are the development of the theory, terminology and practical methods, the introduction of the latest scientific achievements, the improvement of tactics of investigative actions, the creation of computer methods for processing data for their further application, the generalization and systematization of experience gained in habitoscopy.
3. Specific tasks (for example, a comparative comparison of photographs by their optical overlay using computer technology).

Habitoscopy is also used to solve the following narrow tasks:

• the search for people present at the crime scene, according to information available about their appearance;
• the search for persons hiding from the investigation, fleeing places of detention;
• the search for people missing;
• identification of living or dead faces.

History of development

Habitoscopy is a science whose roots go back centuries. Even in Ancient Egypt, there was a practice of verbal depiction of a person’s appearance, which included 2 types of characteristics:

• short description: age and special features;
• detailed description: growth, figure, face shape, small features (scars, moles, warts), hair color, eyes and other characteristics.

In many countries, up to the 20th century, deliberate bodily harm was used to identify criminals - they cut off fingers, hands, cut off noses, ears, and stamped them in a prominent place on the body. So, in Russia, drawing signs in the form of a rectangle with the letter “B” or “B” was practiced for thieves and rebels, respectively, and the killers were branded with the country's coat of arms. The description of the appearance of the criminals was also entered in the registry books.

The first attempts to systematize the history of habitoscopy were made at the beginning of the 19th century in France. For each well-known criminal police, a special card was instituted in which their signs were indicated. They have been systematized for decades and in alphabetical order. In the 40s. XIX century such cards began to replenish with photographs, which greatly facilitated the work in identifying criminals who often called themselves other names during detention in order to avoid justice.

The main principles of anthropometry were laid down by A. Bertillon. His developments became the basis of habitoscopy in modern forensics. In 1879, he proposed a technique for identifying criminals, which consisted in measuring several parameters of the skeleton (standing and sitting growth, arm span, head and right ear sizes, foot length, middle finger, little finger, forearm, and distance between cheekbones, and other characteristics). Such a system has become a reliable tool for personal identification. He also developed a method of verbal portraiture, which in the 30s. XX century became one of the mandatory methods of criminal registration. The description of the appearance of the offender should now be made not in an arbitrary way, but using special terms that facilitate the systematization of data.

The further development of habitoscopy is associated with the beginning of the application of the methodology of compositional portraits developed in 1956. It consisted in compiling facial images from some of the most similar photographs. The overall composition is called the image robot. In the search for criminals, this was the first attempt to increase the efficiency of using signs of appearance obtained by interviewing witnesses and victims.

In the future, special devices were developed for composing such portraits, which were layered on transparent films, and then, if necessary, manually retouched. With the development of computer technology in habitoscopy and forensics, this procedure has been greatly simplified thanks to graphical software. Currently, video recordings that are obtained from video monitoring systems are increasingly being used to identify criminals.

System of signs

Habitoscopy is a section of forensic science in which all external signs are divided into 2 large groups - their own (the structure of the human body) and related. Own elements, in turn, are divided into 3 categories:

• general physical;
• anatomical;
• functional.

The accompanying signs complement their own and are not manifestations of his life. These include elements of clothing and accessories, other items that help to fully shape the image of a person. All these signs are forensically significant.

General physical signs

The general physical description of a person’s appearance in habitoscopy includes:

• female or male gender;
• age, which is determined by witnesses "in appearance";
• anthropological type, belonging to a race or ethnic group with characteristic specific features of appearance (Asian, Caucasian, Negroid and others).

Anatomical elements

The following anatomical features-elements of the external appearance are distinguished:

• The height of a person in a standing and sitting position. Growth is usually characterized by seven degrees of gradation.
• Proportions and features of body parts (body types).
• The condition and color of the skin, the presence of folds, distinctive features.
• General shape and height of the head.
• Face. The shape, size of the whole face and the relative position of its individual elements - forehead, nose, cheekbones, eyebrows, mouth, chin. The presence of pronounced wrinkles, skin folds.
• Eyes. Length, degree of opening and shape of the palpebral fissure, relative position, color, protrusion from orbits, density of eyelashes, degree of overhanging of the eyelids.
• Teeth. The relationship of the dentition, their size, various defects, the presence of crowns, prostheses, color of enamel.
• The size and shape of the auricles, the degree of protrusion.
• Neck sizes.
• The shape and width of the shoulders, pelvis, chest and back.
• Arms and legs. The length and thickness of the entire, as well as separately brushes, feet, fingers, characteristics of nails).
• Hairline. Density, color, rigidity, shape, configuration, presence, location and shape of bald patches, mustaches, beards, whiskers.
• Special signs are wrinkles, spots, scars and others.

Functional signs

Functional elements in forensic habitscopy include:

• Characteristic habitual posture.
• Gait (fast or slow, wide or short steps, degree of raising the feet, waving hands and other features).
• Facial expressions (facial muscle movements in various emotional states).
• Lip articulation during speech.
• Gesticulation (excessive movement of the head, limbs during a conversation).
• Special signs - painful movements of the muscles of the neck, face and other parts of the body (twitching of the eyelids, tic of the head, tremor of the hands, etc.), everyday habits, working skills when using any tools.

In this case, not random, but steady movements matter.

Display methods

Habitoscopy is a section of forensic science that describes the appearance with the help of two main methods - subjective and objective. The first type of display is a mental image that is captured using a verbal description or drawing. Their reliability strongly depends on external conditions and individual perception.

Objective displays are obtained by instrumental means. These include photo and video images, field casts and traces, x-rays. They are much more reliable.

Types of subjective descriptions

In the practice of forensic habitscopy use the following types of subjective descriptions:

• Arbitrary It is produced using words and phrases used in everyday speech. To clarify such a description, visual albums are used to characterize the normal values ​​of features.
• Systematized (verbal portrait method). It is made according to a certain methodology using special terminology.

A verbal portrait is made with the following rules:

• the description is made in relation to the normal position of the body;
• signs characterize in several ways;
• the following sequences are observed: from general to particular (from general physical elements to anatomical), from top to bottom;
• in conclusion, catchy, special signs are recorded.

Subjective portrait

In modern habitoscopy, there are 4 types of subjective portraits :

• hand-drawn;
• drawn up using typed drawings (compositionally drawn);
• formed from fragments of photographs (compositional-photographic, photobot);
• “Living”, in which, according to the description of eyewitnesses, a person is made up, who is then photographed or filmed.

In any case, the development of a portrait goes through 3 stages:

• Preparatory. The characteristics of the eyewitness and the conditions in which he was in contact with the criminal are studied. Optimum working conditions are created, an arbitrary description is compiled.
• Making the original version. Clarification of details, refinement, coordination of the final image with eyewitnesses.
• Decor. Drawing up an approved certificate for a portrait, designing a photo table with intermediate options.

Subjective portraits are also used to identify dead people and to reconstruct the appearance of the skull.

Portrait examination

Portrait examination and habitoscopy are studied in the framework of one area of ​​forensic technology, since they are characterized by the same object of study - the appearance of a person and the laws of his display. Portrait examination is one of the types of examination that is carried out to establish an identity based on the appearance of the person captured in a photo, video or using other methods. The basis for its implementation is a decision of the investigator or a court decision. The examination is carried out in the period from the initiation of a criminal case until the moment when the court verdict comes into full legal force.

Researchers count more than 50 large elements of the face, and there are more than 850 of them. If we take into account that each sign of describing appearance in habitoscopy is characterized by at least three methods (large, normal, small, or by other criteria), then the totality of all options exceeds 9 in number 000. This fact allows us to distinguish each person from the mass of other people.

Portrait examination is important in criminal investigations. It allows you to solve the following problems:

• search by photobot;
• identification of criminals, witnesses, suspects who died on unidentified corpses;
• solving the issue of ownership of identity documents of their owner;
• determination by visual signs of chronic diseases for further use of this information for investigative purposes.

In the presence of special elements of appearance, in some cases, identification can be made by the image of a part of the face or other area of ​​the body.

Identification periods

The concept of habitoscopy is closely related to identification periods, which are understood as the stages in a person’s life when his signs of appearance are relatively stable. The rate of change is not the same. At an older age, the duration of such periods increases and reaches 20 years. In the first years of life, a significant transformation of the face occurs due to the accelerated development of the facial section of the skull. At the same time, some elements remain unchanged (for example, the structure of the auricle, the contour of the palpebral fissure, and others).

In a simplified scheme of identification periods, the following stages are distinguished:

• Early childhood (under 7 years old). The dynamics of changes in appearance is very large. This is especially true for the size of the face and brain of the skull.
• The period of the second childhood (8-12 years). The rate of change of external signs becomes less intense.
• The teenage period (12-17 years) and youth (17-20 years). At this time, the most pronounced transformations of appearance are observed, the main features are laid down, which are preserved until the onset of old age. The lower jaw increases faster than the rest of the face. The nose and upper jaw also grow rapidly, the severity of the folds of the upper eyelid decreases. The size and protrusion of the auricle vary.
• Young age (20-25 years). Signs of appearance become relatively stable. The skin and face are most susceptible to changes.
• Maturity (25-45 years). Coarsening of facial features occurs, the sweetness of the skin becomes deeper, its soft parts also change. The face begins to look more massive. Such changes are especially pronounced in people who are very fat.
• Old age (45-60 years). After 50 years, a period of withering begins and previous changes are faster.
• Old age (60-75 years).
• Old age (75-80 years).
• Decrepit (over 80 years old).

Change face elements

The facial features and scalp undergo the following transformations with age:

• At the age of 20-25, a change in the position of the hair line near the forehead occurs, and from the age of 35, there is a gray streak, the hair is thinning and thinning.
• Eyebrows become thick and shaggy with age, but their position is constant.
• Starting from puberty and up to 40 years in men, the forehead over the bridge of the nose intensifies, it becomes more sloping. After 60 years, the tempering of the temples occurs.
• By the age of 30, the nose reaches its maximum size, its height increases, and the tip gradually drops. Due to the growth of cartilage, it also becomes wider.
• The palpebral fissure gradually narrows due to the overhanging of the upper eyelids, after 50 years they cover the outer corner of the eye. In old age, eyeballs become sagged and eye sockets increase. The iris brightens.
• The length of the mouth gap gradually increases, and in old age decreases. After the onset of tooth loss, the lips become thinner due to atrophy of the masticatory muscles, the chin rises. In the presence of dentures, this phenomenon slows down.

Knowing these features allows you to identify a person’s identity from photographs or videos that were taken over a long period of time.