subject: Criminal Profilers And Psychologists Determine Types Of Offenders [print this page] Most people who watch television shows such as Dexter or CSI are aware of the term criminal profiling. Of course, the reality of criminal profiling and forensic psychology is going to be much different from what one sees on a television show. Its simply not possible to wrap up a case with a nice, neat ribbon after an hour, as so many of the television dramas do. However, some of the techniques and terms that you hear on the shows are real, and you can get a very basic and cursory understanding of what a profiling specialist will do to try to find a suspect.
One of the things that a forensic psychologist who is working with the police is going to look for is what the crime scene looks like. Specialists will be able to tell whether the offender is organized or disorganized. However, some cases are not so easy to determine, and they may be what is called a mixed offender. Heres a breakdown to give you a better idea of what each of these actually means.
The organized offender is a criminal that seems to have a more advanced, thought out approach to the crime. The crimes will show evidence of premeditation, such as weapons or tools being brought to the crime scene. These offenders are often of a higher level of intelligence. The offenders will usually have a clear MO, and they may even have certain types of victims that they prefer. If they are a murderer, they will usually dispose of the body, and they already have a place in mind where they will dump the corpse.
The disorganized offender is much different. They usually have below average intelligence, and they might be unemployed. If they are employed, the will have menial jobs in many cases, and they might even have mental problems. They do not often think through their crimes, and they act impulsively rather than with any thought. Crime scenes are often messy, and when the disorganized offender murders, they do not usually take the body. They put as little effort into covering their tracks as possible.
Mixed offenders can make the job of the forensic psychologist more difficult. It can have elements of both organized and disorganized.
The offender types are useful for profilers, police, and psychologists. They will often use these classifications when they are examining a crime scene. As you can see, its possible to glean quite a bit of information from the type of scene the investigators find.
