Badge of shame

A stigma is a visible to a person's outward sign of shame, which is prescribed as punishment for a misdemeanor or felony. In most countries of the world such stigmatizing forms of punishment are no longer applied.

Stigmas may be applied following a conviction either in a specific clothing labeling or, if they are pronounced in the context of corporal punishment in the form of amputation or the infliction of scars.

Purpose of Schandmales is on one side of the punishment itself, which may include the public visibility with social discrimination and connected in the case of corporal punishment with the infliction of pain. On the other hand, can be expressed against a convicted person by a stigma, a warning of the roommate. Often there is a visible connection between a committed crime or offense and the type of Schandmals. Example: amputation of the right hand with thieves in some Arab countries.

Historical examples

In the Middle Ages until the modern era lawbreakers were often covered with Schandmalen:

The Inquisition condemned in less serious cases of heresy faith deviants for carrying usually blue or yellow heretics crosses. They were made ​​of fabric and had to be clearly visible borne by the offender on the upper garment. This type of punishment was ordered very often by the Inquisition. The duration of this labeling could be temporary or pronounced a life sentence either. The restrictions imposed by the Spanish Inquisition as heretics punishment crosses it was usually for red St. Andrew's crosses, which were often worn on a special penitential robe, a so-called Sanbenito.

Medieval authorities of a city or county, which occupied a person with a spell that could to prevent their return sustainable, cause this injury, to leave with the aim of lasting traces. It fingers, hands or other limbs were chopped off, cut off the nose, ears or tongue, people were stigmatized or dazzled. Scar -forming skin lesions and slit earlobes were still comparatively light sentences, which were also relatively frequently prescribed. Such a stigmatized person could hardly go back and be included in any guild. As a re-socialization was as good as impossible in such a punished person could most likely still operate as mercenaries, sailors, small dealers or criminals.

Sly fox

The documented since the 19th century word " rascal " is a redensartliche name of a cunning and crafty people dar. The term is attributed to the punishment for petty thieves and con-artists who docked half the ear, or was also provided with only one section to to brand marklen them. The widespread assertion that the name is derived from Schlitzohr the custom to punish unzünftiges behavior by pulling the earring is unassigned .. The earring is namely craftsmen only since the late 19th century occasionally detectable.

What is known, that law breakers and Mafia deviants ear or nose was cut off to stigmatize them.

Stigmatization of Jews

A stigmatizing form of clothing mark - but not in the sense of a crime punishment - was the yellow ring, which had to be carried from the 13th to the 18th century in Europe of Jews. This measure was taken by the Jewish star again in the Third Reich.