There is a long history, stretching back to biblical times, of classifying murderers as either having a mental disorder (mad) or as being innately ‘evil’ (bad). In the Old Testament story of Cain and Abel, Cain was banished to the other end of the earth for the evil act of slaying his brother Abel.
Serial killers are dangerous because, by definition, they commit murder many times. But are they clinically ill, or legally responsible for their acts? Offender profiling is used to divide serial killers into disorganised or organised categories based on personality and behavioural differences. A ‘disorganised’ serial killer is acting impulsively and without control whereas an ‘organised’ serial killer is very much in control of what he or she does, and is therefore considered ‘sane’.
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