This gripping three-part series enters the world of forensic psychology to illustrate how law enforcement officers and mental health professionals get inside the criminal mind. Captivating case studies from the U.K. and the U.S. provide a real-world context for the techniques and processes described.

Three programs 46 minutes each:

TALK TO ME: The Dynamics of Hostage Negotiation
"I want doctors! I’m gonna kill doctors! I want white coats!" In 1993, gunman Damacio Torres shot up the Los Angeles County-USC Healthcare emergency room and took two hostages. Using the Torres case as a springboard, this program explains the tricky business of hostage negotiation while seeking to understand the mentality of hostage-taking. Psychologist Kris Mohandie, SWAT team supervisor Lt. Michael Albanese, and former hostage Anne Tournay, all present that day, offer keen observations on the five-hour standoff. Psychologist John Potter, of Exeter University, and Stephen Romano, of the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit, provide additional insights.

TO CATCH A KILLER: The Use and Abuse of Criminal Profiling
In 2001, the last piece of a serial rape/murder case that had tantalized London police for nearly 20 years finally fell into place. In this program, retired FBI profiler Robert Ressler, LAPD psychologist Kris Mohandie, and British law enforcement professionals discuss the history and techniques of criminal profiling within the context of the Railway Rapist crimes that terrorized greater London during the 1980s. In addition, the sensational case of Rachel Nickell, murdered in broad daylight on Wimbledon Common in 1992, illustrates how profiling improperly applied can hijack an investigation. Forensic psychologist Gisli Gudjonsson, of King’s College London, provides commentary on that crime.

MAD OR BAD? Psychologically Assessing Criminal Competence
Sane or insane? Court verdicts and parole decisions alike often hinge on that single crucial question. This program explores the intricacies of psychiatric evaluation and parole risk assessment with forensic psychologist Jeremy Coid, clinical psychologists, a probation officer, and others. The Yorkshire Ripper serial murders, the London Nail Bomber case, the Ipswich Rapist case, the 1999 attack on a London church congregation by a naked sword-wielding man, and a parole review involving a composite serial pedophile - a case that neatly illustrates the challenge of balancing society’s right for safety against a convict’s right to be treated fairly - are profiled.