Senior Research Project

Introduction

For my senior research project, I have decided to focus upon the utilization of forensic science within fictional television and movie productions and its tangible ramifications upon real-life legal, social, and governmental systems on an international scale. In modern popular culture within the United States and throughout the world, there are a variety of prominent, acclaimed criminal justice-centered television shows and movies being produced on a yearly basis for the entertainment of global audeinces, yet they unintentionally have such an immense effect upon the actual legal system, especially in the United States, on the jurors and other members of the courtoom who participate in the trials fo criminal and civil cases. 

Correspondingly, this reputed effect is widely known as the "CSI Effect," which is a phenomenon where jurors develop unrealistic expectations about forensic science based upon their consumption of crime television programs, that lead them to believe that evidence is always available and conclusive, testing results come back instantaneously, and more often require forensic evidence in cases where it may not be necessary or needed because of witness statements or other forms of key convicting evidence.

Forensic Science in Television and Its Adverse Impact upon the Legal System

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