the "CSI effect"
The "CSI effect" is what prosecutors call it when jurors expect to see physical evidence in a trial that actually connects the defendants to the crime. The idea is, since jurors and the public watch television shows like CSI where the detectives actually use advanced technology to analyze evidence and solve crimes, jurors come into a trial expecting to see physical evidence that connects defendants to crimes, and are disappointed if they do not.
The "CSI effect" is only mentioned when there is no physical evidence in a case. If the state is trying to convict a person using only jailhouse snitch testimony bought and paid for by the threat of prosecution or the promise of freedom, and there is no physical evidence tying the defendant to the crime, then you hear prosecutors talk about the "CSI effect." Don't be fooled, oh jurors, by these television shows which make it look so easy. The truth is that we cannot match fingerprints or test DNA evidence out here in the real world.
Of course, when there is actually physical evidence with which to convict someone, then you do not hear about the "CSI effect," - that is reserved for the cases where they have no case. A recent article on crime scene investigation in South Carolina illustrates how the CSI effect exists only when it is convenient for the prosecution. SLED's DNA lab in this instance invited the media in to show them just how high tech they are, and how helpful their CSI work is in solving crimes:
In the mid-1990s, DNA testing could take months to generate a profile. Now the potential is overnight and analysts can can do it with as few as 10 cells from things like blood or saliva found at a crime scene."We use DNA for anything from auto break-ins on to up to homicide," says Lieutenant Bryant Hinson of the Forest Acres Police Department.
"We're doing a lot of good," says Lt. Robin Taylor. "We're solving cases that would not be solved otherwise. It's a tremendous tool."
