“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” was not the first crime show to hit the TV screens and it certainly is not the last. In response to its popularity and growing franchise, a controversial term was introduced in courts and through the media. It is called the CSI effect. The CSI effect has been closely defined as a trend that claims, through watching crime-related programmes such as “CSI” or “Law and Order”, the public, mainly people completing jury service, have their views about forensic evidence influenced. This primarily creates preconceived beliefs which allegedly affects the criminal justice system in many ways.
The main suggested cause of the CSI effect is the crime show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. According to the Nielsen Ratings,