The Way CSI Effect Affects People

Many shows today are based upon fictional things, for example, “The 100” is about radiation and people living in space and moving from planet to planet, and “The Walking Dead” is about zombies, while there are other shows like “CSI” and “Criminal Minds” which is based on actual things, or is it? Television is a big entertainment source of how we view things. Tv shows tend to exaggerate things for the entertainment factor and that affect juror to have unrealistic expectations for a case they are in. It makes it harder to prosecute defendants, they tend to want the hard evidence like DNA samples or blood samples - and the problem with this is that not many cases have this much evidence and can be pretty simple and the jurors will make it more exaggerated than needed. It has also affected who can be a juror and making it harder to find someone who isn't gonna base all they know and what to do by the movies they watch. Having these shows on so many different platforms and easy to access can affect the way criminals work, by seeing how that person does things and what they messed up on. The can also watch and get new ideas and include them with the crimes they plan or already are doing. Which these shows do give a lot of good advice, by the way the show, their crimes and the way the officers work. I have personally watched “Criminal Minds” and it did for awhile make me think that this is what actually goes on and then when I got classes and they started teaching me about crime I knew it was pretty different and that there more to it. Another thing that affects them is that lawyers have to educate them so much and do their best to explain that it isn't all what you see on television. Jurors do have a difficulty of knowing how things work in real life situations. Here is an example of the CSI effect in a real life case:

This is going to cover the Robert Blake murder trial. Hattie Kauffman notes that after more than one person testified Blake had asked them to murder his wife, the jurors didn't want to just accept it, they wanted to keep it going and get more of a “CSI” feel. Hattie explains that people say starts on the show solve crimes based on detailed analysis of forensic evidence. Which this evidence is not available in the Robert Blake case. There were many things said over and people trying to go more in depth, saying that if they had more evidence he would be guilty. People are expecting DNA test for every single case and want to be crime fighters so they can be like the shows, but most of the time they don't have that evidence nor enough to be able to go off on any motive.

It is said that 30 million people watched “CSI” on one night, 70 million people watched at least two of the three CSI shows, and that 40 million watched two other forensic typed dramas. While yes, there are many negatives to this subject there are also positives to it, it helps people see more into this subject and want to get involved and go into criminal justice. Also it does help people look more into this and not go quickly over something, people now actually want to be jurors and help the law. And when evidence does come in they do make sure it all goes up correct and it's harder to convince the jurors for the lawyers. Lawyers have a tendency to change the way they view things and run over something they don't want people to notice, but with this CSI effect it makes it harder and at least one person will notice and say something. Also now jurors now demand scientific evidence in criminal trials when they used to just take what is given. The CSI effect could definitely help people with how they view the police and view them as people who try to fight crime correctly and they might have a better understanding what to do and what not to do when law enforcement gets involved in their life. Also if someone is getting false accused it could help them make a better speech so that they don't get charged with something they didn't do.

In conclusion, everyone will view the CSI effect differently and there are many good and bads that come to this and people do have to understand that not every case is going to be some hardcore to the bone evidence.