Prosecutors Combat The 'CSI' Effect

Crime solving is not 'as seen on TV.'

"Tune in around 8 p.m., and you'll find three episodes," police Staff Sergeant Peter Abi-Rashed told The Hamilton Spectator. He was talking, of course, about the popular CSI franchise. "People actually believe those shows, and it's filtering into the courts," he continued. This, he explained to a Crime Stoppers Hamilton Conference workshop, can be a bad thing.

The CSI Effect causes viewers of these types of shows to expect a lot of forensic evidence in court, including far-fetched technology and infallible results. "We've even had some young Crown prosecutors asking for tests that don't exist," Abi-Rashed explained. He went on to say, "Has the Centre of Forensic Sciences ever made mistakes in the past? Yes, they have. You never see that in those shows."

"Juries are asking, 'Can we convict without DNA evidence?'" he said. "Of course they can. It's called good old fashion police work and overwhelming circumstantial evidence." Police and prosecutors have had to come up with ways to offset the CSI Effect in court. One way is to send a letter to defence attorneys that explains which forensic tests have been done and allows them to request which other tests they'd like to have done before the trial. "We're sending them this saying, Here's what we have, here's what we've tested, and if there is anything else on this list of exhibits that you really want test or are going to bring it up in court, say it now because if you bring it up later in court, we are going to say we gave you a chance, so why did you not do the testing?'" Abi-Rashed explained.

Another way to combat the effect is to give the jurors what they want. "Juries want technology," Abi-Rashed said, "so we give them reality and some technological wizardry." Animated maps tracking a suspect's route based on cell phone calls and Power Point presentations with crime scene photos, for example, are slick and impressive, and they have an impact on jurors. And the CSI Effect isn't all bad, Abi-Rashed said. In fact, some jurors come to court with basic scientific knowledge. In the past, prosecutors had to spend time and money on experts to explain concepts such as DNA to juries, but now television shows like CSI can do that in advance.

The original article is from The Spec.

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