TYPES IN CRIMINALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21098, 4 February 1932, Page 10

TYPES IN CRIMINALS.

DEFORMITY OF FEATURES. FOUR SPECIFIC CLASSES. [FROM OUR OWN' CORRESPONDENT.] MELBOURNE. Jan. 21. "The most dangerous men 1 have ever met, in or out of gaol, were good-looking men, who had better than the average opportunities in their youth," says Colonel Bray, of the Salvation Army in Melbourne, after 44 years as a visitor to gaols.

Colonel Bray's remarks were prompted by a magistrate at Oakleigh, who, on sentencing to two years' imprisonment, a handsome young man found with a housebreaking implement, observed: "1 am annoyed that a man with a face and head like yours should follow a career of crime."

"You cannot judge a banana by its skin," says Colonel Bray. "There are specific types of criminals who possess and develop deformities of features which make them far from handsome. These consist of (1) Youths and men who are naturally passionate and evil-tempered. Crime with them takes the form of robbery with violence, unlawful assault and other deeds of apparent unbridled passion and lack of moral sense. (2) Mental and sexual perverts, who either by continual feeding mentally oil uncleanliness, or by actual indulgence, eventually produce giim, offensivo features, indicating to all experienced eyes the nature of their offence. (3) Addicts to over-indulgence in alcohol, cocaine and other drugs that most surely destroy fine features. (4) The mental and moral degenerates, who, from early youth, baffled all existing institutions to deal with them successfully, and who reached manhood still more degenerate. "These four classes are among the inhabitants of our prisons and penal establishments, and form tho basis of most people's ideas of the physical features of prisoners. When wc come to the great majority of offenders who go to prison for larceny, passing valueless cheques, false pretences, bigamy, embezzlement, confidence tricks and such like, a clear brain, steady hand and good appearance are essential. Il "Theso criminals arc, in the majority of cases, well set-up men of good appearance and taste in dress. This is their chief asset in their life of crime, just as tho burglar lias his tools."