Emily Prentiss's Forensic Psychological Analysis Of The Episode Sense Memory

The specific forensic psychology that is depicted in this clip is crime-scene profiling as well as offender-based profiling. Criminal Minds tells the story of criminal profilers who work for the FBI in the Behavioral Analysis unit to help further investigate crimes. In this media portrayal, the protagonists work together to create a profile for their unknown suspect who has been murdering women by putting them out with chloroform and drowning them alive in methanol. In this clip, the FBI agents are informing the detectives who are a part of the LAPD about the unsubs profile. They identify the unsub as an male caucasian between the ages of 20 and 40. It is also mentioned that the suspect is likely a very antisocial person who does not come into

Emily

Prentiss tells the detectives that the unsub will most likely be disinterested and detached from the investigation itself. The agents explain that they are doing a preliminary profile because the crimes are occurring quickly and they aren't able to trace the unsub down because he is washing away all of the forensic evidence.

When looking at the television show Criminal Minds, it is evident that it is a fictional crime drama. However, the episode “Sense Memory," shows an accurate representation of crime-scene profiling as well as offender-based profiling. The terminology used in the episode displays that the producers and screenwriters have done extensive research and are very well-educated. In this scene particularly, the actors successfully illustrate the method of profiling an offender because of the way they formulate phrases and explain the criminals personality.

While criminal profiling isn't always used to solve crimes, it can advance the investigation further. The show and the episode itself brings awareness to the importance and understanding of criminal profiling and does a great job illustrating how the Behavioral Analysis Unit

When organized offenders commit a crime, there is little to no evidence at the scene because of how carefully it is planned out (Winerman, 2004). Organized offenders may select specific victims or a location where they know they won’t be spotted. According to the article, the classification system distinguishes organized offenders as people who are very intelligent and may also exhibit characteristics connected to antisocial behavior (Winerman, 2004). However, some offenders may be socially competent and can still be classified as organized. Behaviors almost always reflect a person's personality. Therefore, if there are multiple victims strategically positioned similarly, it is very possible that the offender is organized (Winerman, 2004). On the other hand, a disorganized offender will leave plenty of evidence behind and their crimes may be unplanned (Winerman, 2004). Both organized and disorganized behaviors fall within offender-based profiling, and it is important to recognize that not all offenders fit into just one category. The second article that I will be examining is called “Criminal Profiling: Science