The C.S.I. Effect: How Crime Shows Change Real Life

Many people all over the world watch and enjoy shows such as C.S.I. But do you ever stop and think how these shows affect us as a society? As someone in forensics, I would like to share some of the ideas and assumptions that people have due to these shows.

With the knowledge that I have, I cringe every time I watch a show like C.S.I. The show is great for entertainment purposes, but that's about it. I think people are far too easily influenced by these types of shows. I can understand why people don't see the actual technical aspects of forensics: the shows would not be nearly as entertaining. Waiting weeks for D.N.A. results from a backlogged lab and calling out actual experts to scenes isn't nearly as exciting as someone swabbing a stain on site and telling you all about it right there on the spot. But these shows affect society in a way that the average person couldn't imagine.

Have you ever been called for jury duty? Imagine getting called, and having to serve on a murder trial. You have a prosecutor with a massive amount of circumstantial evidence. You have witnesses placing the suspect at the scene. All signs point to the suspect. The defense has a weak argument full of holes. You all go to deliberate after closing arguments. Pretty much all of you agree that the suspect is guilty. But there are a couple jurors who are not convinced. Why? They wanted to see D.N.A. evidence! Or even fibers that came from the carpet of the suspect. Eventually you end up with a hung jury. And a guilty suspect could very well walk away a free man. I'm not saying this happens with every case, but you would be shocked how many cases end up like this. Within the business, it's called the "C.S.I. Effect".