An article in the July Scientific American examines the extent to which the television program “C.S.I.” and similar forensically-focused programs have increased the expectations of jurors in criminal trials. The article quotes University of California, Irvine, researchers Simon Cole and Rachel Dioso questioning the real impact of such programs: “That television might have an effect on courtrooms is not implausible… but to argue that ‘C.S.I.’ and similar shows are actually raising the number of acquittals is a staggering claim, and the remarkable thing is that, speaking forensicially, there is not a shred of evidence to back it up. There is a robust field of research on jury decision-making but no study finding any C.S.I. effect. There is only anecdotal evidence.”
Even if forensic shows are not measurably influencing the demands and decisions of juries, television is unquestionably impacting the nation’s forensic laboratories. As police investigators gain appreciation for the advantages of science, they are collecting and submitting more and more material from cases for forensic analysis. In 1989, Virginia labs processed only a few dozen cases. The number of cases being submitted this year has ballooned into the thousands. Labs across the country are experiencing increasingly larger backlogs, even though crime rates have consistantly dropped since 1994.
On the positive side, enrollment in forensic science programs is greatly expanding and the increased interest in this field seems to have impacted the government’s willingness to fund related research. The National Institute of Justice recently recommended that the federal government sponsor research to validate forensic science techniques such as impression evidence, document authentication, and fire arms examination.
The article concludes that properly educated, well-equipped, fully staffed forensic science laboratories are essential to ensure citizens’ public safety in a just manner. “The popular interest in forensic science is at an all-time high, as are the challenges to the veracity of forensic science methods and capacities. Even if no so-called C.S.I. effect exists in the courtroom, the real effect is the realization of the need for the advancement of forensic science laboratories and research.”
(M. Houck, “CSI: The Reality,” Scientific American, July 2006, pp.84-89). See also, Innocence.
