Vanessa
Abstract
There are two types of criminal offenders, you have those who are organized and you have those who are disorganized. There are some major differences between the two types of offenders. There has been much research conducted on both offenders and separating them. This paper will first define what an organized and disorganized offender is. This paper will also discuss the major differences between the two and how to tell them apart. Also much research has been conducted by the FBI about organized offenders and disorganized offenders. This paper will discuss if the FBI should receive credit and how much credit should they receive due to the FBI never making their methodology public.
Keywords: FBI, organized offenders, disorganized offenders
Type of Offenders
“An organized offender is the kind of offender that cautiously plots their crimes and who is common more intelligent and less culturally isolated than disorganized offenders” (Sam, 2013, pg 1). An offender who is organized has already thought out their plan, how they are going to carry it out, what tools they are going to use, and they also have an escape plan in mind. These offenders are harder to catch because they thought of everything before they leave to commit the crime and they are not sloppy. They don’t tend to leave any evidence behind unlike the disorganized offenders. “A disorganized offender is an offender who approaches his criminal activities in a frenzies and impulsive manner” (Sam, 2013, pg 1). The disorganized offenders are sloppy and are easier to catch because there are many mistakes and flaws when they commit their crimes.
What are the big differences between disorganized and organized offenders? One of the differences that is seen between the offenders is that organized offenders tend to have obsessive compulsive traits. Disorganized offenders sometimes have a history of their parents giving them harsh discipline, they have below average IQs, and are low on the birth order. Their crimes scenes are different as well. A disorganized offender is sloppy; an investigator can tell by how they leave the crime scene. They act on impulse and are often in a confused and distressed state of mind. They have no set plan and their acts are committed suddenly and they have no plan that would help them not be detected. If they are committing a murder they usually leave the body in the same place and don’t many any attempt to try and hide to body.
There are different profiles created about the different offenders. When talking about a organized offenders characteristics they have above average or average intelligence, sexually competent, socially competent, varying childhood punishment, skilled at work, controlled mood during the incidents, follow the media to keep up with crime, they use alcohol during the commission of a crime, have a good car, and/ or lives with a partner. A disorganized offender’s characteristics are unskilled at work, socially inadequate, they have a below average intelligence, sexually incompetent, they are anxious during the commission of a crime, harsh punishment when they were a child, slight use of alcohol during the commission of a crime, they do not usually watch the news, and/ or they live alone. There are significant differences in just the characteristics of these types of offenders. These offenders would have different profiles created about then due to them being so different. There are no similarities with these two offenders other than they both are wanting and willing to commit crimes.
When comparing the crime scene of a disorganized offender and an organized offender, there is a huge difference.“This scene of methodical organization suggests a carefully planned crime that is aimed at deterring detection” (Webster, 1985, pg 20). An organized offenders plan of attack is always planned out beforehand. They target their victims and the victims are always strangers. They control the conversation and they personalize the victim. They demand that the victim be submissive and their crime scene shows an overall control of the victim. They are aggressive before death and they often use restraints. They hide the body after they murder them and any weapons or evidence they clean up. And they transport the body and/ or victim. A disorganized offender acts of impulse. They know the victim and/ or location that they are committing the crime against. There is hardly a conversation and they depersonalize the victim. They are sloppy and their crime scene is random due to acting off impulse. There is sudden violence to their victim and there is no use of restraints. They commit sexual acts on the body after death and the body is usually left in plain view. They leave behind the weapon used and/ or other type of evidence. They leave the body at the scene of death and don’t transport them. There is a clear difference between the two offenders.
Being able to put a serial killer with being organized or disorganized may help with trying to better understand the difference. For example, Jeffrey Dahmer was an organized serial killer. He was very organized with his killing and he was controlled. He would select his victims carefully and would end up controlling them. He was a heavy drinker and would drink during the incidents. “He posed his victims before, during, and after death” (Jentzen, 2017, pg 1). Dahmer had everything planned out and even how he was going to get rid of the body once he was finished with it. A disorganized offender would be Ottis Toole. His killings were random and would take anyone who he came across. These killers are harder to track down because they are unknown and do not follow a given pattern which makes it difficult to find them.
When it comes down to the FBI creating these profiles and doing research on disorganized and organized offenders, they should not get any credit if they did not help with the investigation. The FBI did not share their methodology with anyone to aid in their investigation on any type of criminal. So why would the FBI get credit if they did not help with aiding in trying to find the offender? The FBI should not receive any credit when it comes to this because they did not want to help share their information they have learned. If the FBI wants to receive any type of credit for their studies and research, then they need to share the information they have gathered. How can one expect to receive credit if they refuse to share their findings? Sharing valuable information can help in the detection and prevention of criminals committing more crimes. If agencies are refusing to work together then they are only making their jobs that much harder.
Conclusion
After reviewing what the differences are between an organized offender and a disorganized offender, they are both very different. When investigators come across a scene they can tell right off what type of offender they are dealing with. When it comes down to FBI not making their methodology public, how can they ever receive any credit if they are not willing to share their knowledge. They should only get partial credit because of not sharing the information. If they were to share their methods on organized and disorganized offenders, then yes they do deserve to receive credit. But if detectives and officers are conducting the work alone without their help, then no credit should be given.
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