CRJ3014 Criminal Justice and the Media

THE CSI EFFECT: JUROR EXPECTATIONS
FOR FORENSIC EVIDENCE
Criminal Justice and the Media
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CSI Effect definition and types of scientific evidences expected by
jurors
The CSI Effect has been explained in several instances as an observable fact or
phenomenon in which the scrutiny of crime and forensic based television shows
influences the decision made by the bench or jurors in a case
It has been into existence since 2000s and its impact leads jurors to have improbable
expectations of forensic tests and probably trigger them to inappropriately weigh the
essence of either the nonappearance or presence of forensic evidence.
Among the types of evidences expected and highly focused on the shows is DNA

Cont...DNA variation offers high discriminatory authority in identifying well-known
individuals. It is less established and can help in predicting appearance traits which
is important for getting unknown criminals.
The Jurors expectation do not necessarily come from watching crime related shows
like the CSI. However, the Jurors actively expect the use of modern scientific
technology to help ease the difficulty of proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt
(Donald, 2010).