Abstract
This
article introduces Organized Psychotic Criminality (OPC) as a proposed
conceptual framework intended to guide future criminological and forensic
research. OPC seeks to explain rare cases in which individuals experiencing
persistent psychotic symptoms engage in organized, goal‑directed criminal
behaviour. Rather than assuming psychosis inherently disrupts planning or
rationality, OPC suggests that certain delusional systems may be internally
coherent, stable, and capable of supporting structured offending. Integrating
insights from rational choice theory, cognitive criminology, forensic
psychology, and strain theory, the framework outlines how delusional mission
orientation, cognitive compartmentalization, and reinforcement processes may
interact to shape criminal conduct. Contemporary research on delusional
cognition, violence risk, and forensic functioning further supports the need
for this model. As a theoretical proposal, OPC is intended to stimulate
empirical investigation and interdisciplinary dialogue rather than serve as a
diagnostic or predictive tool.
