Criminal Profiling

Criminal Profiling is one of the few defenses against serial murder. To put it in simplest (and I emphasize simplest) terms, there are 3 steps:

1) Determine exactly what took place in complete detail.

2) Determine why this took place, and

3) Determine who could have done this under the circumstances.

Much of this is done by examining the victim (in a murder case, which profiling is used most commonly in). In mutilation cases (which is common amoung serial killers), the cuts on the body of the victim can be used to determine whether or not the assaulter is an organized or disorganized offender.

An organized killer is clean, covers up their crimes, prepares and plans theirs crimes, and often cuts clean cuts on the victim. - Example: Theodore Robert Bundy

Unlike the organized killer, the disorganized offender is not well kept-dirty cars, messy houses-, does not do a good job covering up their crimes, does not plan out their crimes, and often mutilates the victim visciously-often using an axe or something alike. - Example: Edward Gein

These terms are used to help police officers that did not have the benefit of psychology courses solve those terrible murders that appear every day throughout the United States. To get deeper involved in criminal profiling, join the F.B.I., or buy the book Whoever Fights Monsters, by Robert Ressler. Before you do, check out my review of it.

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