When it comes to TV forensics, what you see is definitely fiction. And, there’s a reason for it. Like actual fights, true forensics isn’t so showy. And, just as watching fights has made many believe they are fighters without having to train, CSI shows have convinced a generation that they are forensic experts. The existence of these “couch scientists” has become so prevalent, they have a phenomenon named for them: The CSI Effect. I have all of the info in this post and MORE in my book Fight Write, Round Two: Crafting Chaos, Combat and Crime. Take a stab at it!
The CSI Effect is the belief that TV crime shows are effecting the decisions of juries. Jurors have an expectation of what they will see brought into evidence because of the forensic evidence they see on CSI shows. In 2006 The National Institute of Justice surveyed over 1,000 randomly selected jurors. They found:
- 46 percent expected to see some kind of scientific evidence in every criminal case.
- 22 percent expected to see DNA evidence in every criminal case.
- 36 percent expected to see fingerprint evidence in every criminal case.
- 32 percent expected to see ballistic or other firearms laboratory evidence in every criminal case.
- 46 percent expected to see DNA evidence in the more serious violent offenses, such as murder or attempted murder.
- 73 percent expected to see DNA evidence in rape cases.
- 71 percent wanted to see fingerprint evidence in breaking and entering cases.
- 59 percent expected to see fingerprint evidence in any theft case.
- 66 percent expected to see fingerprint evidence in crimes involving a gun
In a perfect world, where crime still manages to exist somehow, jurors would get tons of forensic evidence that would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone was guilty or innocent. Unfortunately, not only is that seldom the case, but it goes against what forensic evidence shows. Forensic evidence does not prove guilt or innocence. It simply shows that someone could have been at the scene of the crime. But could have been isn’t the same as absolutely was.
The Phantom of Heilbronn also known as “The Woman Without a Face,” was a woman linked to forty crimes across Europe, six of which were murder. After sixteen years of investigation, authorities found that she, in fact, didn’t even exist. Well, not as a murderer anyway. The DNA recovered from the scenes was already present on the swabs used to collect evidence. The swabs had been contaminated at the production factory by a female employee. Although the swabs had been sterilized for germs, bacteria and viruses, that process did not remove the human skin cells present on the swabs from being handled.
Don’t Write Authentic Fight Scenes
Ok, so what does the CSI Effect mean for us as writers. Well, first, it is an indicator of what our readers expect. CSI shows are created to entertain not teach. And while some of the practices on these shows may be authentic, they are likely only authentic enough to fool us into believing they are completely legit. If you are wanting the crime scene forensics in your work to be authentic, I suggest you follow my next few posts or do a fair bit of research. (Me doing the research for you is way easier, don’t ya think?)
Second, just like fight scenes, CSI in books doesn’t have to be authentic so much as realistic. You don’t want to bog your reader down in details and you may need to bend the authenticity a bit to move your story forward. For example, you may need a police officer to accidentally step in blood during the investigation of the scene and leave a shoe print which in turn makes them a suspect! (dum dum DUUUUM) But, you need to be aware that’s not how it works. Police don’t just walk through active crime scene investigations unless that is their job. And, when it is their job, they wear protective equipment over their entire body including their shoes. Also, if you need dialogue between characters investigating the scene, it won’t happen as they are actually investigating the scene. It will happen when they are taking a potty break.
Be sure to check back over the next few weeks for posts regarding authentic CSIs.
Crime Scene Cleaning Writer Questions Crime Scene Cleaning – Dead Bodies
(1) https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/csi-effect-does-it-really-exist
