The Netflix series "Mindhunter" tells the story of an FBI team that pioneered criminal profiling of sexual serial killers in the 1970s and 80s. With support from NIJ, the FBI profilers were able to study dozens of these killers, leading to numerous groundbreaking publications.
This article, which is part of a special issue of the NIJ Journal commemorating the Institute's 50th anniversary, includes interviews with a real-life member of the FBI profiling team and the former NIJ director who supported the FBI's research.
While explaining the evolution of the profiling team from department renegades to careful researchers, the article also explores NIJ's role in bringing together law enforcement agencies to address crimes that individual jurisdictions could not solve on their own.
