Forensic psychology is the application of psychology to law. The TV and film profiler is a popular character, single-handedly solving the crime with their expert knowledge. The reality however is very different. In this program we discover what a forensic psychologist actually does to put together a profile of an offender. Using the leading case of the Railway Murders in the UK, the origins of profiling are explored, comparing the 'top down' approach pioneered by the FBI in the United States and the European statistical, or 'bottom up' approach. It concludes with practical uses of profiling, potential benefits and drawbacks, and the emergence of a new evidence-based approach.

Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on July 17, 2015.

Offender Profiling --(24:57) -- Offender Profiling: Introduction -- (1:19) -- What is Offender Profiling? -- (4:01) -- Approaches -- (5:27) -- Approaches: Bottom-Up -- (4:03) -- Applications and Evaluation -- (2:54) -- Applications and Evaluation: Profiling Evaluation -- (4:32) -- Applications and Evaluation: Modern Profiling -- (2:09) -- Credits: Offender Profiling -- (0:31).