THE CSI EFFECT

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are facing the "CSI Effect"-high expectations from jurors because of media glamorization of the criminal-justice system.
Jurors believe forensic evidence can be found at every crime scene and is always admissible in court.
They also believe that expert witnesses may not be credible and that crimes can be solved in less than an hour.
Jurors have the inability to tell real life from entertainment.
Movies and television shows like "CSI," which began in 2000, take liberties with what is scientifically accepted and expand it, Clifford Strider, a prosecuter in an Ohio District said.
"On 'CSI,' someone was found stabbed and they poured plaster in the knife wound to get an image to match to the knife," he said. "You can't do that. Skin is elastic and changes as soon as a knife is removed."
But men and women, often walking into a courtroom for the first time when they are called to jury duty, don't know that.
"Jurors say the reality of the courtroom is disappointing and the evidence is not as appealing as expected," Strider said.
Police and court shows have entertained since the advent of radio and "Mr. District Attorney - the champion of people and defender of truth," Strider said.
But the three television networks available in those early days have ballooned to more than 100, with dozens of crime and court shows, 24-hour news coverage, trials of the century and re-enactments of major cases. Strider said people believe all police departments have helicopters, multiple criminal investigators and evidence that can be analyzed in hours.
When they get on a jury, they wonder why the evidence is not there.
"I think it is good for jurors to be demanding and expect proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but I think there are cases where the jury is out of control and gets angry," said Mark Godsey, a University of Cincinnati associate professor of law who directs the Ohio Innocence Project, which seeks to overturn wrongful convictions.
Godsey, a former federal prosecutor, said jurors should not expect DNA testing in a $100 theft.
"Hello - we are not actually 'CSI,' and the government and taxpayers are not putting those resources into every case," he said.

Partially Reprinted from Policeone