Why are criminals usually ugly?

Question

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but let's be honest, most (violent and/or dangerous) criminals are pretty minging aren't they?

So what gives? Do we just connect crime with ugliness? Or are these geezers genuinely uglier than the average?

Answer 1

Research has been done into this.I remember watching something on tv, many years ago.It was showing scientists doing research into the criminals brains, and their facial make up.Many of them had more ape like faces than human.
As some have already said on here, pretty people usually get treated better by the general public.
I can recall two brothers I was at school with.Very rough family, and these boys used to get teased terribly at school for their looks alone.They also didn't do very well with their school work.As soon as they left school, their lives turned to crime.Very sad really.Also, I suppose, if you see someone on tv for example, and you know they have committed a terrible crime, they already appear ugly to most, even before their picture is seen.
So, you are spot on with your assumption that criminals are ugly.

You also might want to take a look at this link:
http://www.nber.org/papers/w12019

Answer 2

Violent criminals have ugly souls - so their appearance becomes ugly. They poison their bodies with hard drugs and that makes them look uglier. They have hateful looks on their faces, which makes them look worse.

I have known very pretty people with ugly personalities. They just looked ugly after a while. Even the models.

Have you ever seen a homely person who has a very sweet nature? - you think of them as cute or sweet or having a great personality.

Remember the movie Shallow Hal?

But then again - I dressed up as a guy with a black shaggy wig and a goatee one Halloween - and no one would talk to me because I was so ugly!

Maybe criminals are just mad because no one wanted to be their friend. Befriend an ugly kid - it could save someones life someday (sesame street lesson for the day)

Answer 3

I think you're over generalising somewhat the truth is that anyone leading a rough existence gains a certain rugged appearance but if they end up in a violent or drug/alcohol controlled lifestyle then impacts more on their appearance making them less acceptable visually but there have been some extremely handsome men and even beautiful women who've turned to crime so they're not all ugly. The one thing you need to remember is Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder and who are we to judge other people's taste.?

Answer 4

This has to be the stupidest string of answers I have ever seen!

Most people are average looking, I have not noticed the civil war between the elves and the orcs for some reason

Any shot can make the same person look fit or ugly depending on the lighting.

Hard drugs and prison do warp a persons appearance but thats all.

I see more ugly to average people than good looking people in the street. They are in a Minority!!!!

Most of you lot need to get out more and stop oogling at Paris Hilton clones in the celebrity magazines, most of them are not that fit either without photoshop, lighting and makeup by the way!

Bloody hell where has the brains gone on yahoo answers?

Answer 5

They aren't are they, think of the recent terrorists, they are ordinary people who merge with the rest of us and so are hard to detect. Now another slant on this may be why do ugly people turn to crime and that could be to compensate for being ugly but doesn't answer why handsome 'raffles' type people are criminals too. The ugliness that links them is in the heart and mind.

Answer 6

I cannot believe most of the answers to this question! It seems that the majority here are so shallow it beggars belief! If all people are like the majority here I am surprised that the crime rate, bad though it is, is not astronomical. There is an adage - Don't judge a book by its cover, if you are making this statement by virtue of mug shots they are generally taken after the criminal has been done over by the police and they don't get David Bailey in to take the pictures, believe me, murderers rapists burglars robbers are not clones of the elephant man and if you think that they are - beware!

Answer 7

I guess if you were a super model making shed loads of money you wouldn't resort to a life of crime would you? Lets face it, would Kate Moss of turned to crime had she NOT been a super model? It seems that a lot of crime these days is driven by drug addiction. Maybe "ugly" people turn to drugs because of the way society treats "ugly" people in the first place....

Answer 8

Because it's what's inside that counts. True beauty comes from the heart. A beautiful person does and says beautiful things. If a person is ugly on the inside..(evil and criminal) then they appear ugly on the outside! Paris Hilton, at first may appear beautiful, but the more stupid and criminal things she does...she becomes ugly. Beauty is as beauty DOES! :)

Answer 9

Sometimes, what we perceive as 'ugly' is merely a slight imperfection that reflects the person's mental condition.

Also, good looking criminals don't get caught easily, because they use their beauties to get their ways. Just look at Paris Hilton.

I'm also thinking about Thomas Crown, the thief.

Answer 10

I believe criminals are ugly because many ugly people become criminals due to the fact that society treats ugly people with disdain. Ugly people are not accepted in social circles and they withdraw into themselves and sometimes this leads to a life of crime. Why would these ugly people shunned by society, have any allegiance to the beautiful people of society? I can't think of a reason.