The Hung Jury: Scholarly Consensus on the Value of the CSI Effect in the Future of American Justice

Authors

  • Luke Francis Georgette Undergraduate

Keywords:

CSI effect, cultivation process

Abstract

The alleged "CSI Effect" is a sociological phenomenon that claims—based on Gerbner and Gross's cultivation process theory—that the large percentage of the American public that regularly watch forensic crime television programs will have unrealistic expectations regarding the nature of forensic evidence when selected for a real-life jury. How the effect influences Constitutional interpretation and sways researchers and judicial actors will, in turn, change the lives of every American. The inherent difficulties in directly linking the possible cause and effect have resulted in intense dispute over the existence of such an effect, and a wide spectrum of judgments regarding the value and future of the CSI effect in the American judicial system. While the CSI effect may not encompass the specific symptoms decried by attorneys, these shows are indeed affecting the legal process, to the extent that today's attorneys have adjusted their tactics, and states have directly addressed the effect in their guidelines for courtroom protocol. This paper sets out to survey the current body of research and to determine if there is consensus regarding whether the CSI effect is a negative influence on the criminal courts and whether there is any agreement on how to counteract it.

Author Biography

  • Luke Francis Georgette, Undergraduate

    B.A. Candidate 2010 in Science, Technology, and Society.

    Minor in English - Creative Writing. 

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Published

2010-10-25

Issue

Section

Research Articles