The CSI Effect and its Controversial Existence: A Mixed Methods Review

• In Event: Profiling & Linking - At the Intersection of Theory and Practice

Abstract

The CSI effect has presented a problem in the courtroom since the advent of the television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation as it has popularly been believed to affect how jurors decide verdicts in court cases. Both a meta-analysis and qualitative review were conducted to examine the impact of watching crime drama television shows on jurors’ verdict decisions and expectations for the presence of forensic evidence at trial. The meta-analysis revealed preliminary evidence that watching CSI-type shows had a small, but significant impact on both jurors’ verdicts, and expectations. The qualitative review indicated that most articles claim that jurors’ expectations are influenced by the CSI effect, more so than the idea that verdicts were influenced, but that consensus on the existence of the CSI effect is still missing. It was also found that discussion of other aspects of the CSI effect such as jurors’ reliance on forensic evidence and perceptions jurors form as a result of watching crime dramas varies by the type of article (i.e. law review, scholarly, or press) being written. These results contribute to settling the disparity between the “perceived” CSI effect and the “actual” CSI effect.

Authors

• Kimberley Schanz, CUNY Graduate Center / John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• C. Gabrielle Salfati, John Jay College of Criminal Justice