Chapter IX Non-verbal means of communication in the environment of minors. Secret Correspondence 1. Visual Secret Communication

In recent years, visual secret communication, such as sign language, posture, pantomime, and facial expressions, has become increasingly common in special educational institutions and ICs, as well as among adolescents and young people at large. This language is similar to communication through the alphabet of gestures for the deaf and dumb. Such communication is especially common among some categories of criminals. We are talking about "foxes," professional gambling players, scammers, extortionists, "scammers", prostitutes. Not everyone knows the essence of such a science as semiotics (the science of signs and sign systems), but almost everyone uses it. For example, when meeting with a friend who asked us: "How are you?" - we often do without words, but simply lift up the thumb: "Everything is fine!". Even non-drinkers are familiar with the gestures of alcoholics: thumb up, little finger - down, with the rest of your fingers drawn in, means: “pour 200 grams”; a click on the neck - "laid by the tie." Prostitutes have gestures that mean: I stand so much, I agree to satisfy clients; I do not agree, look for another fool, etc.
Everyone knows the "brotherhood" of motorists: blinking headlights of an oncoming car warns that the traffic police post is ahead, or: "A dangerous turn ahead", and when overtaking: "Stop, check the load securing", etc.
In everyday life, if, for example, the interlocutor does not hear you, and you want to give him extremely unpleasant information, you have a whole set of gestures at your disposal. They are eagerly enjoyed by the "stars" on the football fields in communication with the spectators in the opponent's fields. The transition to market relations has significantly enriched our "cash" gestures. From curses we move to business contacts.
Of course, this whole alphabet is not professional. Another thing - professional card players. Here we are talking about huge amounts. To convey information to the partner, the most natural postures, gestures, facial expressions, eye position, and most importantly - cigarettes are used. Card game lasts a long time, to leave, to smoke, no time. So gamblers invented a cigarette, its position, method of puffing, releasing smoke, to use as a means of transmitting information to a partner

Table 9.1. Means and methods of transmitting information by partners when playing cards

Main sources of information	Their positions
Cigarette	1) in the right corner of the mouth 2) in the left corner of the mouth 3) in the center of the mouth
Tightening	1) slow 2) shallow 3) deep 4) brief, intensive 5) long 6) combined
Method of blowing smoke	1) the right corner of the mouth 2) the left corner of the mouth 3) in the center with the letter “O” 4) through the nose 5) down (“under the feet”) 6) upwards with the stream 7) upwards with little rings
Cigarette position	1) in the right hand 2) in the left 3) held with two fingers 4) held with three fingers 5) in a “fist” 6) change of position
Cigarette position on	1) extinguished in an ashtray 2) not extinguished 3) ash was shaken off 4) ash was not shaken off 5) ash was shaken off several times
TOTAL	27 positions

In table 9.1, we have given only the main positions as a means of transmitting information. But each position has many shades. So, you can put out a cigarette in different ways: "poking" into the ashtray, several "poking", "twisting", etc. Ash can be shaken off with one blow of a finger or by tapping it often. Options for all positions a great many. But from the above 27 positions ("letters"), you can create any combination and transfer information of any complexity to a partner without attracting the attention of rivals in the game.
First of all, information is transmitted about what suits are on hand, how many and what trumps, from which card it is desirable to go and under whom, to make or not to “pass”, how much to put “on the bank”, etc.
It turned out that such an information system exists in professional card players in other countries. Here is what the press reports:
"The French police managed to uncover the communication system used by professional gamblers. They pass information to each other using cigarette smoke. The ancient Indians used this system. Here everything matters: from what corner of the mouth smoke comes out, how do they hold a cigarette, how do they put her on an ashtray. Detectives have compiled a whole table of such signals. "
Visual means of communication are most common among deaf and dumb criminals. In Moscow, there is a "center" metropolitan "party" of the deaf and dumb. There are criminal groups of deaf and dumb in a number of other cities. Their main activities are fartsovka, currency speculation, pickpocketing, racketeering, alcohol speculation. Criminal acts of this category of persons are characterized by particular cruelty, complete disregard for others and their lives. Defectologists find this explanation in the peculiarities of the formation of personality, resulting from deafness. From early childhood, because of the lag in speech development, such people develop slower and worse abstract thinking, imagination, memory, and motor braking system. All this significantly affects the formation of personality. The number of gestures is limited, contrasting (good - bad) is enough, and shades are more difficult to convey. The sheer language of the sign language causes feedback: the concepts and notions themselves are hardly assimilated. Hence the limited thinking and feelings. Deaf incomprehensible alien, and its own, pain. This is especially noticeable on youth.
The most interesting thing is that a number of crimes simply cannot be committed if others do not know at least some gestures of the deaf and dumb. Indeed: how to say about the price of alcohol, about the exchange rate of a currency during a speculative transaction, the price of stolen goods, the amounts extorted by racketeers. In some cases, you have to resort to the language of the letter, but in most cases, the victims understand some gestures of the deaf and dumb.
As a matter of fact, the language of the deaf-and-dumb is not secret. The trouble is different: there are no people among the police officers who are fluent in the language of the deaf-and-dumb. "There used to be a translator, one for the entire Moscow police, but now she is retired." Isn't that weird? After all, deaf and dumb talk-





Are in the official sign language and facial expressions. The victims understand them, but the police do not. What to say about the study and knowledge of the "language of card players", which in our country, as we know, no one is engaged. Operational workers over the years accumulate individual experience, and when they retire, young people have to start from scratch. The visual language (sign language and facial expressions) of different criminal groups must be purposefully and deeply explored. This is important for forecasting its development and for understanding the subculture of criminal groups.