ABSTRACT
Prosecutors in the United States are often heard to complain the days of the “CSI-effect” when they make this complaint; they mean that the popularity of television shows like CSI has made it unduly difficult for them to obtain convictions of guilty defendants. This chapter explores the problem of “junk science” in this country that has led to a plethora of wrongful convictions of the innocent. It suggests that contrary to the beliefs of many CSI-watching jurors, the state of forensics in this country is far from how it is portrayed by Hollywood. The chapter examines whether CSI-type shows have contributed to jurors’ over-reliance on forensic testimony that is, in reality, often quite dubious and offers anecdotal experience, which suggests that they have. The unfortunate result is that guilty defendants are acquitted because of a lack of forensic evidence in cases where, in reality, no such forensic evidence was possible or realistically obtainable outside of Hollywood.
