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A Study Of Juror Expectations And Demands Concerning Scientific Evidence: Does The “Csi Effect” Exist?, Hon. Donald Shelton, Gregg Barak, Young Kim
A Study Of Juror Expectations And Demands Concerning Scientific Evidence: Does The “Csi Effect” Exist?, Hon. Donald Shelton, Gregg Barak, Young Kim
Hon. Donald E. Shelton
Many prosecutors, judges and journalists have claimed that watching television shows like CSI have caused jurors to wrongfully acquit guilty defendants when no scientific evidence is presented. This is the first empirical study designed to investigate whether the “CSI effect” exists. This survey of 1027 persons called for jury duty in a State court looked at jurors’ television viewing habits, their expectations that the prosecutor would produce scientific evidence, and whether they would demand scientific evidence as a condition of a guilty verdict. While the study did find significant expectations and demands for scientific evidence, there was little or no …