Criminal Justice System Observation Report

Over the course of the semester, we have seen many examples of how the media can negatively affect how people feel about the criminal justice system. I was exposed to shows like Law and Order and Snapped at a young age. Because I watched a lot of these types of shows at a young age, I realized that a job dealing with the criminal justice system was something I was interested in pursuing. I can even remember telling people that I wanted to be a forensic pathologist when I was only in sixth grade. Learning about the CSI effect has shown me that a lot of things that happen in crime shows are not accurate. For instance, in most crime dramas, there are many techniques that lead the suspect or the resolution to the case 98% of the time (Trojan, 2011a). Crime dramas would not be as popular if they were realistic, this is why the creators
This shows viewers an unrealistic portrayal of how things work in the criminal justice system. Many episodes of these unrealistic crime dramas are typically around half an hour to an hour long, with that being said, that’s not a long time to follow one particular case. This is why creators of these shows develop different techniques to catch the perpetrator that may not even be available in real life. This has played a part in making the CSI effect a real issue that faces the criminal justice system. The CSI effect, and the media in general, can have a huge impact in the courtroom. When someone it tried for a crime, they are promised a jury of their peers, it is stated in the sixth amendment. Because many episodes of crime dramas end with a resolution, jurors may expect the same result with real-life cases. Most jurors believe that lack of evidence means lack of guilt (Trojan, 2011a). The effect of media on the courtroom has a wider effect on the police and corrections because the jurors will expect more out of the police then they should and they