The CSI Effect

Prior to the mid 1950’s, a medical examiner (ME), or otherwise known as coroner, did not have to be a doctor. It was an appointed position by the city or whatever jurisdiction they were in. It wasn’t until very recently that it was required for the ME to have a degree of sort. It is usually a medical degree. They must be a licensed medical practitioner. Now, an ME is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances and to perform examinations after death. Their job includes investigating the cause of death of humans. Organs like the stomach, liver and brain are the main ones looked into for finding the cause. The list of responsibilities goes on. 

This has become important to history because without the medical examiner having a degree. Evidence was not as binding as it is now. ME’s did not know what they were looking for. It wasn’t until 1953 that James D. Watson and Francis Crick found DNA’s double helix structure as seen in the below picture (Figure 2) of the two and their discovery. In the caption, there is a link to more clear depiction of the DNA double helix structure. After those advances, DNA evidence was just at its basic roots. It was not as involved as it is now.

Figure 2 (Wade, 2012). Untitled Photograph of James Watson [Right] and Francis Crick [Left]. This is my Historical Photo #2. Click here for a closer look at the double helix structure.

The American media does not give an accurate depiction of the process that criminals go through in the country. The public often believes that the portrayal of the criminal justice system on television is accurate. This is a common misconception. That belief is called the CSI Effect, and its influence on the American public is detrimental to the success of and faith in our legal system. The public receives a vast amount of its information about the criminal justice system from the entertainment industry. This makes it particularly difficult for the American public to fully understand the criminal justice system. Ever since October 6, 2000 when CSI: Crime Scene Investigation started, as an American crime drama television series, the legal profession has taken a drastic hit because now there is a number of jurors that expect forensic evidence in all criminal cases. CSI has changed the course of legal history through the CSI Effect. As I mentioned previously, CSI is changing the world through the type of language we use and what we are looking for in crimes now. The question that could be possibly answered by my website is the speed that this change has occurred. 

Now, I will explain the process that I used to find, organize and analyze my primary and secondary sources for this project.

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