The CSI effect is the way in which producers of crime television show exaggerate criminal investigations so that audiences believe them to be true in real life. Forensic science is actually far more complicated than what is portrayed in the media and far less glamorous. Shows like CSI, Law & Order, Dexter and the like use real life cases to create a link to the real world but go about the process in a totally unrelated way. Other than the actual processing and analysis of evidence, criminal trials are shown to rely on circumstantial evidence. Additionally, people are made to believe that as technology progresses the machines that are used in television shows exist, when in fact many do not. DNA can take a very long time to process but on TV shows it is only a matter of minutes if not seconds. And sometimes you cannot rely on DNA evidence, especially hair strands.
For example, in the video above, a forensic analyst says (1:10) “so we just have to get this over to the DNA lab, have them confirm it’s our victim’s blood, then…case closed.” This statement would not be said in a real life situation because blood evidence may be convincing even to the world’s biggest skeptic but it is not conclusive. The blood results come back within the same day.
The people who work in forensic labs, police stations, etc. do not work together in actuality. But for the purpose of making a cohesive show, producers group characters together and often give them similar responsibilities such as conducting raids, suspect pursuit and visiting a crime scene. Just like any office environment, people have specialized jobs that don’t require them to work next to each other or do the same tasks.
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