The NEW face of Evil

According to an article posted today at WorldNetDaily, research psychiatrists have developed a "depravity rating" system to quantify just how evil someone is by the magnitude of the crimes they commit. No longer is evil a subjective, moral term.
"People say evil is like pornography - they know it when they see it, but can debate whether or when it is harmful," Dr. Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist and professor at New York University, told the London Telegraph. "This is not true. We are finding widespread agreement about what is evil."
Welner believes there needs to be defined boundaries for what is considered acceptible and with his scale, jurors will now have a framework beyond their emotions to determine who deserves what sentence.
Welner's depravity scale is based on contributions of thousands of people who contributed their understanding of evil to a website. Aggravating-factor scores reflect criminals' intent, action and attitude. Those committing crimes for excitement or to terrorize or as a result of prejudice would be measured as having a more depraved intent.
Apparently, Welner isn't alone. Dr. Michael Stone, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, has developed his own scale - 22 "gradations of evil" - based on 500 killers.
Stone's depravity scale ranges from the least evil - those who kill in self-defense - to the most evil - "psychopathic torture murderers, with torture their primary motive." Factors such as a history of having been abused, being a jealous lover or showing remorse are factored into the scoring.