Editing Mutilation (section)

== Terminology ==

In 2019, [[Michael H. Stone]], Gary Brucato, and [[Ann Burgess]] proposed formal criteria by which "mutilation" might be systematically distinguished from the act of "[[dismemberment]]", as these terms are commonly used interchangeably. They suggested that dismemberment involves "the entire removal, by any means, of a large section of the body of a living or dead person, specifically, the head (also termed decapitation), arms, hands, torso, pelvic area, legs, or feet". Mutilation, by contrast, involves "the removal or irreparable disfigurement, by any means, of some smaller portion of one of those larger sections of a living or dead person. The latter would include [[castration]] (removal of the [[testicles]]), [[Disembowelment|evisceration]] (removal of the [[internal organs]]), and [[flaying]] (removal of the [[skin]]).

According to these parameters, removing a whole hand would constitute dismemberment, while removing or damaging a finger would be mutilation; decapitation of a full head would be dismemberment, while removing or damaging a part of the face would be mutilation; and removing a whole torso would be dismemberment, while removing or damaging a breast or the organs contained within the torso would be mutilation.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Michael H. |last1=Stone |first2=Gary |last2=Brucato |name-list-style=amp |title=The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime |location=Amherst, New York |publisher=Prometheus Books |year=2019 |pages=83–84}}</ref>