by Skye Martin

Created on: October 26, 2007   Last Updated: October 29, 2007

The organized/disorganized classification is one of the most commonly cited classifications of violent serial offenders. This distinction between offenders is made on the criteria that it can be drawn from an examination of the crime scene and the victim.

The FBI's behavioral specialists have compiled the Crime Classification Manual, which categorizes murder into four main groups: criminal enterprise homicide (category 100); personal cause homicide (category 120); sexual homicide (category 130); and group cause homicide (category 140). There is no separate category for serial killing; serial homicides fall into the various categories depending on the their type. The most common group where serial homicides frequently occur is category 130: sexual homicide. That group is divided into subcategories that include the following: (131) organized sexual homicide, (132) disorganized sexual homicide, and (133) mixed sexual homicide (Burgess, Ressler, Douglas. 1997).

The organized offender leads an orderly life that is reflected in the way he commits his crimes. He is said to be of average to high intelligence, socially competent, and more likely than the disorganized offender to have skilled employment. In many instances, he lives with a girlfriend or is married. He may even be a father. He will plan his offense before the opportunity arises often for weeks, months, and even years before acting. He is aware of his growing compulsion to act out his murderous desire. He will typically use restraints on the victim, and bring a weapon with him, which he will then take with him when he leaves. Typically, the organized offender leaves three crime scenes: Where the victim is confronted, where the victim is killed, and where the victim's body is disposed of (Vronsky, 2004).

The organized killer approaches his victims by socializing with them, charming them, or tricking them into a situation where he can overpower them. He typically owns a car, which he then uses in his crimes. He follows the reports of his crimes in the media and changes jobs or moves to a different city when he believes he may be detected. He is sometimes schooled in police investigative methods and he is constantly improving his technique with each additional murder. The longer he kills, the more difficult it becomes for police to catch him (Vronsky 2004).

The ultimate example of an organized killer is the infamous Ted Bundy. Bundy was so organized police never located the crime scenes where his first seventeen

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