Posted on Mon, Feb 7, 2011 : 5:56 p.m.
Crime shows have no 'CSI Effect' on juries, Washtenaw County Judge Donald Shelton finds
By Cindy Heflin
Donald Shelton
NPR talked to Shelton for an article about the theory among prosecutors that crime shows like "CSI" have made their jobs harder. Shelton and his colleagues decided to do their own study to see if jurors were letting crime shows like "CSI" influence their expectations for high-tech forensic evidence. Shelton found that jurors' demands for evidence had nothing to do what what television shows they watched, NPR reported.
Comments
15crown00
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 7 p.m.
that's because sensible people know TV shows and Movies aren't the way things really are.crimes almost never get solved in 1-3m hours.
Macabre Sunset
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 2:11 a.m.
I read the linked pdf file. That's why I was making fun of the survey. Why would potential jurors admit to being influenced by popular culture? It may have been conducted in a "scientific" manner, but as anyone who even knows the basics about surveying will tell you, question choice is paramount. Shelton's survey fails that test because the questions only attempt to address conscious bias, and that's something people would be reluctant to admit even to themselves. It's not an easy issue to address, and I find this attempt purely amateur-hour. Especially that it makes a conclusion that is not even supported by the survey itself.
Jake C
Tue, Feb 8, 2011 : 12:07 a.m.
@Macabre: Did you read the linked articles? It's a properly-conducted scientific study, I see nothing obviously wrong with its methodology, or with the purpose of the study. It's a valid concern whether viewers of shows like CSI have unrealistic expectations of the kinds of evidence presented by prosecutors in various types of real criminal cases. These studies tried to answer three questions: 1. Do jurors expect prosecutors to present scientific evidence? 2. Do jurors demand scientific evidence as a condition for a guilty verdict? 3. Are juror expectations and demands for scientific evidence related to watching law-related television shows? To answer these questions, we conducted two surveys of actual summoned jurors and gauged their attitudes toward scientific evidence. In Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor), Michigan, we surveyed 1,027 randomly summoned jurors during the period of June through August 2006."
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Feb 7, 2011 : 11:06 p.m.
The survey is utterly absurd. "Hey, juror. Are you biased?" "Um, no" "Hey juror, do you expect the prosecution to prove its case?" "Um, yes" "Hey, juror, does a silly popular television show change your perception of proof?" "Of course not" End of survey.