Kaci Dilday

Essential Question  Do shows like CSI have a negative influence on peoples’ interpretation of the criminal justice system?  Conclusion: Yes, viewers do not distinguish the difference between television and reality.

 The CSI effect is defined as any of several ways in which the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on crime television shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation influences public perception.

 The CSI effect is caused by people believing the things that they see on television. Shows like CSI, NCIS, or Law and Order, use over the top methods of finding evidence and investigating as a way of grabbing the attention of viewers.

 Due to people believing everything is as easy as on TV, jurors are demanding more evidence in criminal trials and raising the standard of proof for prosecutors. Viewers of the crime scene shows put a lower value on circumstantial evidence and demand physical proof, proof that doesn’t always exist.  Since crime scene shows have become more popular, there has been a great increase in the amount of people interested in studying forensic science. These people are quick to learn that everything is not as it appears on television.

CSIREAL LIFE  Fingerprints are everywhere.  DNA takes minutes to process.  Investigators don’t have to wait for warrants.  Fingerprints are hard to come by at a crime scene.  DNA can take weeks to process.  Investigators must obtain a warrant before making an arrest or searching a scene.

CSIREAL LIFE  Chaotic crime scenes.  No tedious paperwork.  One person does many jobs.  Use the term “match.”  Crime scenes are a controlled environment.  Paperwork has to be proper for case to stand strong in court.  Jobs are split between multiple people.  Less definite terms.

CSIREAL LIFE  Characters on television use the term “match” to describe a definitive relationship between two pieces of evidence.  Forensic technicians tend to use terms that are less definite to acknowledge that absolute certainty is often not possible.

Product Evaluation  This project gave me a better insight to the criminal justice system and how it works.  I learned how to research and write a paper as well as how to speak in front of a large group of people under pressure.