Studying Juror Expectations for Scientific Evidence: A New Model for Looking at the CSI Myth

Hon. Donald E. Shelton, Eastern Michigan University
Gregg Barak, Eastern Michigan University
Young S. Kim, Eastern Michigan University

Abstract

This article reviews the results of two empirical studies of large groups of Michigan jurors that refuted the the so-called CSI effect as a basis for "wrongful" acquittals as claimed by many prosecutors. The merged data from the two studies reinforces that concusion and supports the earlier suggestion of a "tech effect" based on cultural changes, rather than any direct impact from certain types of television programs. The studies did find increased juror expectations for scientific evidence and suggest that they arise from the combination of the tech effect, the general media portrayal of forensic evidence, and the misperception of attorneys and judges that the CSI effect does exist. The triangulation of those forces is represnted in a new "Indirect Effects Model of Mediated Adjudication".