CSI Shows & CSI

Effect

By Nenad Herman
 C S I – Crime Scene Investigation

 scientific methods and investigative techniques

 to recover, preserve, collect and analyze the
evidence
 to identify or establish link between perpetrator,
victim and scene of crime
 To obtain evidence for further court proceedings.
 Mr. Almighty

 Processes crime scenes,

 Interrogates the suspects and witnesses,
 arrests the suspects,
 …can do everything else.
 No protection equipment at the scene
 Examine the scene and take evidence
 ‘Reads’ it better than Sherlock Holmes
 Resolves ALL crimes
 Ms. Bones

 More or less doing the same as Mr. Almighty

 …in her high - heel shoes
 Reads the bones as they are magic crystal ball
 In CSI Shows they can….

 analyze anything

 Have databases to find everything

 Identify every criminal

 Resolve any case

FACTS
The real crime scene personnel
Forensic identifications mostly rely on

Fingerprints DNA
 IAFIS

 Integrated automated Fingerprint

Identification System
 Fingerprints database

 Database 70,000,000 FP Cards including…

All FP cards ever collected
Dead persons fingerprints
FP Cards taken 2, 3, 5 or X times
Aliens, etc.
Facts – Fingerprints in IAFIS
 CODIS

CODIS – Combined DNA Index System

National DNA Index (NDIS) Statistics (2014):

 over 11,822,927 offender DNA profiles

 over 2,028,734 arrestee DNA profiles

 United States of America/Population

 318.9 million (2014)
Facts – DNA profiles in CODIS
 The CSI effect

 a phenomenon
 television “educated” jurors
 guilty more likely not convicted
 procedures and techniques from the fictional
television show
 not applied in the case
 uses technology that is either
 highly stylized,
 experimental,
 or is non-existent.

 Doesn’t meet the Frye Standard

 Doesn’t generally accepted
 Impact of CSI Effect

Legal system of Common Law countries –

Jury decides is someone guilty or not

 Citizens – influenced by CSI shows

 Criminals – learned from shows
 Jury – Expected MORE evidence to
establish guilty
 Jurors

 want harder evidence

 demand expensive and often unnecessary
tests, that are not pertinent to the case.
 wrongfully acquit guilty defendants when no
scientific evidence is presented

 rely too heavily on scientific findings

National Institute of Justice (NIJ) survey

 Many attorneys, judges, and journalists have

claimed that watching television programs like
CSI has caused jurors to wrongfully acquit
guilty defendants when no scientific evidence
is presented
National Institute of Justice (NIJ) survey

Jury’s expectations:

 46 % - some kind of scientific evidence in

every criminal case.
 22 % - DNA evidence
 36 % - fingerprint evidence
 32 % - ballistic or other firearms laboratory
evidence
 Consequences:

CSI Shows:

 Exaggerate the value and use of forensics

 Neglect the other investigation’s methods

 Create the army of ‘forensics’

Questions??
 Thank you
&
Have a nice day