CSI Effect: Juror's Perception Of Forensic Evidence

Forensic dramas have been drawing in millions of viewers every night by mixing drama, murder, and sometimes romance and comedy. Television shows such as the CSI series, Law and Order, Bones, NCIS, and Castle allow viewers to be immersed into crime, and feel as though they are a part of solving a burglary, rape, or murder. However, over the years, these programs have come together to form what criminal justice professionals are calling the “CSI Effect”. According to an article written by Honorable Donald E. Shelton, “many attorneys, judges, and journalists have claimed that watching television programs like CSI has caused jurors to wrongfully acquit guilty defendants when no scientific evidence has been presented”. Thus, the “CSI Effect” was …show more content…
Their “goal was to determine if there was any empirical evidence behind the commonly held beliefs that juror expectations for forensic evidence […] are linked to watching law-related television shows” (Shelton). They found that, out of all of the prospective jurors that they surveyed, the CSI viewers had higher expectations of evidence, both scientific and nonscientific, in generally all crimes to be possibly committed. However, contrasting the idea of the “CSI Effect”, the researchers also found that there was little evidence to conclude, “that CSI viewers were either more or less likely to acquit defendants without scientific evidence” …show more content…
According to an NPR article, “many prosecutors complain that shows like CSI make their job harder, as jurors demand ultra-high-tech tests to convict suspects” (Rath). Jurors who have watched as little as one episode of a forensic drama expect investigators to reach the conclusion of any crime in an hour-long timespan—including commercials. However, when asked about the “CSI Effect”, Anthony Zuiker, the creator of the CSI franchise, believes that this idea is ridiculous. He