The 'CSI' effect

I am a big fan of CSI. Never failed to miss a single episode so I can witness how the investigators meticulously collect, sort and analyse all possible evidence and construct the crime through sheer determination and brilliant deduction and reasoning. Of course, once in a while, one has to remind oneself that this is a TV series.

But it is easy to see how watching CSI will glamify forensic science and also raise expectations of forensic evidence when they are presented on court. This has been known as the 'CSI effect'.

Rowan Hooper from New Scientist has an interesting report on it.

...FORENSIC science's spell in the limelight has given it huge kudos. Glitzy TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation have sent students flocking to forensics courses. But while this interest is sexing up the image of scientists, is it also stopping police catching criminals and securing convictions?

Television shows scramble forensic evidence