James T. Clemente

James T. Clemente has been a Senior SSA in the BAU.

Career
Before his retirement in October 30, 2009, James T. Clemente had been a Senior Supervisory Special Agent in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico since 1998. He has undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Philosophy as well as a Juris Doctor in Law.

Before he joined the FBI, he headed the Child Sex Crimes Prosecution Team for the New York City Law Department.

Following boyhood sexual abuse by a CYO Camp Director, as an adult SA Clemente did undercover work that led to the incarceration of his offender, and eventually to his own FBI career. His first duty assignment was to the New York Field Division's Joint FBI/NYPD Sexual Exploitation of Children Task Force. He was then assigned to the Office of the Independent Counsel in Little Rock and the Washington Field Office in 1995. In 1998, he was promoted to SSA and assigned to the BAU.

He is a nationally recognized expert in the fields of Child Sex Offender Behavior, Child Sexual Victimology, and Child Pornography. Clemente has investigated and consulted on thousands of cases involving the sexual victimization of children, and he has interviewed hundreds of victims and offenders. He has also testified as an expert witness and lectured on these topics across the country and around the world.

Criminal Minds Advisor
Mandy Patinkin became friends with Clemente during research for his role as BAU profiler Jason Gideon. Through Patinkin (Clemente was on leave from the FBI at the time, undergoing treatment for lymphoma), he established a bond with others connected to Criminal Minds, providing informal advice about profiling and the BAU and, in a rare occurrence for an agent still with the FBI, he has written a couple of Minds episodes, Lessons Learned and Risky Business. Clemente says the collaboration works well, creating an accurate picture of the BAU for the public and alerting other law enforcement agencies to its services, particularly in cases in which time is of the essence. He added that, in one hour, the show can reach 15 million people.

Lead characters Jason Gideon and David Rossi are partially based on Jim Clemente and his career with the BAU.