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CSI Effect Essay

499 Words2 Pages

As a big fan of television shows such as CSI Miami, Law and Order: SVU, and Criminal Minds, I can definitely understand why these types of shows can be an issue within the criminal justice system, due to their fictional investigations and how they make their task of solving crimes by using high tech equipment seem so easy. Even though I’m a big fan of the entertainment of these types of shows, I know the difference between reality and over exaggerated fiction. In the research, I found a term that is used called The CSI Effect. The CSI effect is “a belief held primarily among law enforcement personnel and prosecutors that forensic science television dramas, such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, influence American jurors to expect more forensic evidence in order to convict defendants of crimes” (Roberts, 2016).
In speaking to my brother in law, who is the Lieutenant of Investigations, at our local police department he made me aware that when a crime is committed, forensics are not always needed and if forensics are needed the department has to call in forensics, due to not having one on hand (Lt. R. Mitchell, 2016). I …show more content…

After the results of the survey, jurors should be educated on how the criminal justice system really works. In doing so, I believe that jurors will get a better understanding and will be able to provide accurate decisions based on the findings of the court, not what has been influenced by television. No, I do not believe that juries should expect a higher level of capability from law enforcement. The reason being is that each department is set up differently, some like my local police department are smaller and have a smaller budget, but within a larger city, they may have the capabilities of having forensic units on site. I believe that each department should be expected to do their job

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