The Importance Of The CSI Effect

871 Words2 Pages

1 Criminal Scene Investigation is proclaimed to be the world’s most popular show with over 30 million viewers weekly. Some of these viewers include the jurors whom attend court the following day. Jurors are very important decision makers in the court room as their verdicts depend on whether an individual is convicted or not. This very popular show is believed to be influencing these jurors currently, and we refer to this influence as the “CSI effect”. The CSI effect is “the phenomenon in which jurors hold unrealistic expectations of forensic evidence and investigation techniques, and have an increased interest in the discipline of forensic science.”(Monica Robbers) This effect is a huge issue in the legal system today because it affects the juror’s judgement which carries forward and affects the outcome of many trials. Due to this common misconception by the jurors the legal system as a whole is impacted in a negative way. Jurors are simply average citizens who are selected in the United States from voter registrations and driver license/state ID renewals. The task at hand for jury members would be to make an impartial judgement on the case based on the evidence provided. This popular show raises the expectations for forensic evidence, that when members arrive at trials the jurors are disappointed by the real evidence that is presented. It is believed by an expert forensic scientist that “40% of the "science" on CSI does not exist, and most of the rest is performed in ways that crime lab personnel can only dream about.” (Thomas Mauriello) Jurors influenced by the show fail to see that CSI is only a fictional show and it makes jurors expect high tech forensics to exist and solve all kinds of crimes. Realistically in trials there is... ... middle of paper ... ...ons of jurors. When evidence cannot be provided prosecutors must find convincing methods to let the jurors understand why they are unable to do so. 4 Significantly members of the courtroom should understand and anticipate that these jurors are entering these courts with knowledge of the justice system and forensic evidence. Another unlikely method of embracing the CSI effect would be to invest in the resources given to law and enforcement officers in order to provide us with useful evidence. This would require that the police and investigators to be provided with the most up to date forensic equipment. This would be highly unlikely because most cities do not have the budget required to make an investment of this sort. In conclusion the legal system must find other methods to counter the expectations of jurors in order to prevent them from making biased judgements.

More about The Importance Of The CSI Effect

Open Document