Forensic science is considered to be the backbone of various mystery stories that include tales of Sherlock Holmes, Dupin adventures, Quincy television series and wild forensic shows representing the thoughts and perceptions of this modern day context. At the backdrop of forensic science, the documentary named Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) evolved as a communally constructed phenomenon as well as a media effect, which minimizes the gap persisting between the perceptions of the public towards any event and reality of the same. The influence of CSI, as an impressive piece of drama/thriller TV series is believed to have quantifiable effects on courtroom behaviors, which is also subjected to debate. Allegedly, the depiction of the various programs, …show more content…
practices and services in the TV series tend to have a strong influence on the activities performed by the police, even at the very basic and preliminary levels, such as investigating a situation and gathering pieces of physical proof to solve a particular case. It is the attorneys, educators and the investigators who truly experienced the impacts of the forensic programs idealized through the TV series (Houck, 2006).
CSI unites both science and technological effects that distort the expectation of justice of the viewers by a certain level. Incessant revelation towards felony dramas that portray an abundant quantity of scientific evidences, which potentially generate jury bias, also raises the significance of CSI effects in the classroom (Kopacki, 2013). In addition, with the evolution of CSI, the general public has begun to develop a wide fascination and respect towards forensic science and CSI series, resulting into increased enrollment in the educational programs associated with these phenomena in varied regions of the …show more content…
US. Respective authorities associated with an event, such as the police officers, prosecutors and the judges also believed that the renowned forensic programs aired in televisions through CSI series have led them towards irrational beliefs about the quantity and the quality of physical evidences. Considering that the forensic shows or programs aired in televisions through CSI series affect the decisions and the demands of the jury members by a certain level, these shows encouraged a rather greater level of interest amid the respective authorities to collect physical evidences with the sole intention of resolving a particular criminal case. Use of advanced technologies by the forensic scientists, becoming increasingly sophisticated, can also be regarded as the other reason to the surmounting popularity of forensic shows or programs aired in televisions through different CSI series (Houck, 2006). Emphasizing the issue, this paper aimed at identifying and analyzing the effects of CSI, specifically in the courtroom. Therefore, in order to draw valid inferences, utmost focus has been levied on determining the impacts of CSI on the daily investigations in a law enforcement agency from an administrative standpoint. Various significant aspects, such as the ways through which the CSI influenced the use of forensic investigators on various cases and media relations amid administration as well as news organizations, have been discussed in this particular research paper. Moreover, an attempt has been made in this research paper to assess how the CSI series had influenced the staffing decisions, besides elaborating the necessity of forensic training amid the officers. Impacts of the CSI Effect on Day to Day Investigations in a Law Enforcement Agency From an administrative standpoint, CSI imposed tremendous impacts on the day to day investigations, particularly in the setting of a law enforcement agency.
This is owing to the reason that the CSI series had created a probability to generate unreasonable anticipations on behalf of the jurors, proving science as the most reliable source of evidence, as the forensic crime dramas broadcasted on the televisions simultaneously raise interest amid the viewers in the domain of forensic science (Kopacki, 2013). The crime dramas telecasted in American televisions have preserved an outstanding role for the preceding 50 years, which can be stated apparently with reference to the CSI series. These dramas shown in distinct forms certainly act as one of the fundamental techniques through which the average people can learn about the mechanism of criminal justice with rudimental details. Observably, the impacts of CSI to a law enforcement agency can be as assessed in terms of forming, developing and maintaining effective communication with the viewers and facilitating them to identify social reality (Hughes & Magers,
2007). For a law enforcement agency, CSI is identified to have a profound impact on its daily operations, as this concentrates on criminal investigations as well as forensic practices that not only entertain the viewers but also encourages them to have certain expectations regarding criminal cases and the administration of justice as well. Evidence suggests that it is the jury members who mostly watch CSI series and other television drams based on crime investigations, which capture their individual minds towards overwhelming replication and accuracy towards any specific criminal case (Hughes & Magers, 2007). From the questionnaire survey results obtained through randomly summoned jurors located in the region of Ann Arbor of Michigan, it was observed that the jurors watch various cases of dissimilar categories, such as murder or attempted murder, rape or other forms of sexual abuse, theft, physical assault and trespassing among others. The results obtained from the questionnaire survey also revealed that the prospective jurors anticipate to visualize distinct sorts of evidences that relate to the identified cases with their learning from crime investigation dramas, such as the CSI series. These evidences often encompass circumstantial evidence, eyewitness testimony from the suspected victim, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) evidence, scientific proof of certain kind, fingerprint data and ballistics or other firearms laboratory related facts (Shelton, 2007). The impacts of CSI series on courtroom cases can be better comprehended from the strong prosecutor’s effect, the weak prosecutor’s effect and the defendant’s effect. For instance, the strong prosecutor’s effect makes the regular CSI viewers to believe that the notion of forensic science is precise and conducted with a higher level of technical sophistication. Thus, when these viewers take on their real life professions as the jurors, they intend to have an unreasonably higher anticipation regarding the kind of forensic evidence that is offered by the prosecution. The proponents associated with strong prosecutor’s effects also hold the belief that CSI has the ability to raise evidentiary onus on the tribunal, often creating fake discharges. Correspondingly, in accordance with the weak prosecutor’s effect, the jurors are deemed to hold the perception that the jurors anticipate refined forensic science and therefore, are involved in a host of remedial measures, as a result of this prediction. For instance, the prosecutors might adopt the decision of excluding those specific jurors who watch greater numbers of CSI series. While determining the implications of CSI in the courtroom environment further, the weak prosecutor’s effects posit that these prosecutors are mostly involved into implementing strategies to diminish the potential effects of CSI, specifically on the juries (Chin, 2016). Contextually, the defendant’s effect or the reverse CSI effect, as opposed to the strong prosecutor’s effect by inferring that the prosecution supposedly is benefitted from exposure of juries to CSI programming. From an administrative perspective though, the influence of the defendant’s effect on the daily investigations in a law enforcement agency can be examined as leading the jury members to infer forensic proof in a highly persuasive light and viewing the trials as a mere formality than dispositive of guilt. Theoretically, CSI effect is viewed as a police-based drama, which emphasizes the uses of forensic proof to solve crimes. Under such circumstances, solving a criminal case becomes intensely dependent on forensic evidences instead of circumstantial proof (Kopacki, 2013). The other impacts of CSI on the day to day investigations in a law enforcement agency from an administrative standpoint can be recognized as educating the juries to acquire more knowledge about crime scenes, carefully assessing the testimonies and evaluating evidences as per the criticality of the criminal cases (Kopacki, 2013). Another factor concerning “the police chief’s version” cannot be ignored while determining the influences of CSI effect on the daily investigations from an administrative viewpoint within a law enforcement agency (Chin, 2016). This version believes that CSI, acting as a contemporary category of media viewership, also educates the criminals, as it does the jurors and investigators, making them savvier to evade detection. For example, in the CSI series, the criminals are depicted as using high-end and innovative techniques to conduct the crime sparing least chances of being caught, allowing the real life offenders with better opportunities. Evidences portray that the attribute of “the police chief’s version” also have an impact on the daily investigations within a law enforcement agency. This influence can be witnessed in terms of the criminal justice mechanism wherein attempts are made to popularize forensic science by developing the improvement procedures of the trial procedure within a courtroom (Chin, 2016; Kopacki, 2013).
Since the airing of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the other televised series that followed have led jurors to compare fiction with reality. The shows have changed the view on the real world of forensic science as the series have a world of forensic science of their own. For this paper the televised series titled Bones by forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs will be used as an example for comparison. In the series Bones Dr. Temperance Brenan arrives at the scene of the crime to examine the skeletal remains found in the scene of the crime equipped with one or more forensic kits. Upon momentarily examining the skeletal remains Dr. Brenan is able to determine the gender, ethnicity, and age. When this type of scenario is compared to nonfictional
Roane, Kit R. “The CSI Effect: On TV, It's All slam-dunk evidence evidence and Quick
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was introduced to viewers in October 2000. Since that time, the franchise has added two versions in major metropolitan areas, now addressing crime scenarios in Las Vegas, Miami and New York City. Based on the most recent Nielsen ratings for primetime television shows, the CSI franchise claimed approximately 35 million viewers during the 2010 – 2011 viewing season. The popularity of forensic science drama on television has led officers of the court to voice opinions that there is a “CSI effect” which alters the juror pools and outcomes of criminal trial proceedings. The differences between made for television fiction and actual crime solving are many and when jurors consider themselves pseudo-experts those lines may get blurred in the courtroom.
Crime is a common public issue for people living in the inner city, but is not limited to only urban or highly populated cities as it can undoubtedly happen in small community and rural areas as well. In The Real CSI, the documentary exemplified many way in which experts used forensic science as evidence in trial cases to argue and to prove whether a person is innocent or guilty. In this paper, I explained the difference in fingerprinting technology depicted between television shows and in reality, how DNA technology change the way forensics evidence is used in the court proceedings, and how forensic evidence can be misused in the United States adversarial legal system.
In Richards Willing’s “CSI effect” the author tells the reader how, as a result of crime scene shows’ popularity, the misconceptions they create, and the combining of real life events with TV fantasy, crime scene shows have affected jurors and the oucomes of court cases. The shows’ popularity has increased peoples’ interest in forensic science and has caused workers and students to transfer into the field. The second effect crime scenes created is the misconception concerning when to use forensic tests, as well as misconceptions about the speed and accuracy of forensic workers and machines in tracking and identifying the culprit. Willing tells of a murder trial in Arizona in which the defendant’s bloody coat was listed as evidence, but was not tested. Although the defendant had already told investigators that he was at the scene of the crime, with the jacket, jurors asked for forensic DNA evidence linking the defendant to the bloody coat and to the crime scene. The juror’s exposure to crime scene shows had given them knowledge of forensic tests, but not knowledge of the proper use of the tests. Crime scene shows mix real life with TV fantasy. According to willing’s studies, highly attractive forensic workers and stunning suspects, along with very neat crime scenes on crime scene shows deemphasize the real life violence and brutality of crime. Similarly, tv reality shows have influenced people’s ideas about real life and real relationships through the effects of image, misleading information, and popularity.
In 2006, over 100 million people in the United States tuned in to watch either CSI or any if the other forensic and criminal investigation related television show each week (CJSG). Since then, the number of viewers has increased rapidly, as well as the amount of television shows with the same type of theme. As a result of the increase of these television programs, researchers are discovering a new phenomenon called the ‘CSI Effect’ that seems to be fueling an interest in forensic science and criminal investigations nationwide. This effect is actually the ability of criminal justice themed television shows to influence and increase victims’, jurors’ and criminals’ ideas about forensics, DNA testing and methods, and criminal investigations (CJSG). Although the connection between the CSI Effect and a criminal’s mind is a growing problem, the CSI Effect influencing jurors in the United States by causing unrealistic expectations for definite forensic evidence, creating an increased ‘knowledge’ about forensic science and by creating an expectation for criminal cases and trials to be equivalent to what happens on popular criminal justice television shows is a much bigger issue.
In recent years, however, such programs as CSI that follows detectives at the Las Vegas Police Department Crime Scene Investigations Bureau as they solve puzzles and catch criminals. Perhaps one of the most well known shows with a forensic psychology theme, CSI has a large impact on viewers perceptions of forensic psychology. On one hand, the increased popularity of forensic psychology because of the show is good and more people are taking an interest in forensic psychology as a career. On the other hand, the forensic psychology that viewers see every week on television may not be exactly the same as forensic psychology in reality. Particularly programs such as CSI also overstate the ability of “hard” evidence (also known as forensic evidence), such as fingerprints and DNA, to provide evidence of definite innocence or guilt (Trask, 2007). They often disregard other components of the investigative process, such as police questioning, despite these being equally valid to establishing guilt (Nolan, 2006). This over-reliance on forensic evidence, due to the importance of forensic science being dramatized by television crime dramas, is also known as the CSI
In today’s time, modern Crime Scene Investigation has increased rapidly. From throughout the late 1900’s and in the early 2000’s (Taylor 1). For all of the evidence that they find, a solid foundation has formed over the thousands of years of Crime Scene
Most of the time people cannot comprehend why people that work in the forensic department are sometimes overwrought with anxiety when they have a serial killer case brought into their lab. These forensic scientists have these feelings due to knowing that this could potentially help advance technology. Over the years, serial killers have unpremeditatedly helped further advance the criminal investigation process by unintentionally leaving things behind for a forensics team to analyze. When the team finally solves these cases, it continually propels things such as DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) analysis, finger print techniques, and not to mention the investigation process itself.
Just as insight into the mind of the artist may be gained by examining and comparing the progression of his work, so knowledge of the mind of the serial killer can be ascertained by an examination of his canvas: The murder scene. Forensic profiling is the attempt to do just that. An investigator tries to discern information about the killer based on the information at the crime scene, deducing information about the cause from the effect. This is not an exact science, and has been often likened to an art. It is the goal of this work to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the function and application of forensic psychology, as well as an explication of some of its strengths and weaknesses.
Forensic Psychology, which is occasionally referred to as Legal Psychology, originally made its debut in the late 1800’s. A Harvard Professor, Professor Munsterberg, introduced the idea of psychology and law with his book, On the Witness Stand in 1908. Since the inception of the idea of psychology and law there have been proponents, as well as though that have spoken against the theories proposed by Munsterberg’s, along with other scientists, theorists, and psychologists that believed that Forensic Psychology had no standing to be linked to topics of law. This literature review will attempt to identify scholarly articles that trace the origins and the movement that led to Forensics Psychology becoming a specialty within the field of psychology. I will also attempt to explain What is Forensic Psychology as well as the part it plays within the legal system.
Forensic evidence can provide just outcomes in criminal matters. However, it is not yet an exact science as it can be flawed. It can be misrepresented through the reliability of the evidence, through nonstandard guidelines, and through public perception. Forensic science can be dangerously faulty without focus on the ‘science’ aspect. It can at times be just matching patterns based on an individual’s interpretations. This can lead to a miscarriage of justice and forever alter a person’s life due to a perceived “grey area” (Merritt C, 2010) resulting in a loss of confidence in the reliability of forensic evidence.
Television has seen plenty of producers, writers and viewers attracted to crime and deviance. The crime drama series is not an unchanging structure but develops in an intricate relationship with audiences, media institutions, social contexts and other genres. Crime drama series’ structure often begins with some strains to the social order by criminal forces. Historically police officers or “cops” are good and the criminals are bad. However today we can notice “bent” cops and sometimes sympathetic villains.
Forensic science has now been recognized as an important part of the law enforcement team to help solve crimes and cold cases. The advances in technology are being used each day and we must continue to strive to develop better advances in this field. The recent discovery of using DNA in criminal cases has helped not only positively identify the suspect, but it has helped exonerate hundreds of innocent individuals. “With new advances in police technology and computer science, crime scene investigation and forensic science will only become more precise as we head into the future.” (Roufa, 2017) Forensic science and evidence helps law enforcement officials solve crimes through the collection, preservation and analysis of evidence. By having a mobile crime laboratory, the scene gets processed quicker and more efficiently. Forensic science will only grow in the future to be a benefit for the criminal justice
Crime Scene Investigation or CSI has become a very popular topic thanks to the many movies or TV show in this subject. This is commonly known as the CSI Effect where people lost touch of the real work of CSI agents. In the TV show cases are usually solved in matter of hours to maybe days when in reality it can take months or years to solve a case. The main objectives of any crime scene investigator are to recognize, preserve, collect, interpret and reconstruct all the relevant physical evidence at a crime scene. This evidence is send to forensic laboratories to be examined and provide the investigator with information that may help solve the case. Later on this information can be used in court, for this reason it is critical that the investigator gather the evidence properly and legally.