The CSI effect is any of several ways in which the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on crime shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation influences its public perception. The term most often refers to the belief that jurors have come to demand more forensic evidence in criminal trials, thereby raising the standard of proof for prosecutors. Although this belief is widely held among American legal professionals, several studies have shown that crime shows are unlikely to cause such an effect. There are several other manifestations of the CSI effect. Greater public awareness of forensic science has increased the demand for forensic evidence in police investigations, which in turn has significantly increased workloads for crime laboratories. The number and popularity of forensic science degree programs at the university level have greatly increased worldwide, though some new programs have been criticized for inadequately preparing their students for real forensic work. It is possible that forensic science shows teach criminals how to conceal evidence of their crimes, thereby making it more difficult for investigators to solve cases.
Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1642:
The Société Notre-Dame de Montréal founded a permanent mission known as Ville-Marie, which eventually grew into the city of Montreal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal
1902:
The Antikythera mechanism, the oldest known surviving geared mechanism, was discovered among artifacts retrieved from a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
1954:
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education
1980:
On the eve of the Peruvian general election, the Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacked a polling location in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho, starting the internal conflict in Peru. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/internal_conflict_in_Peru
2009:
Dalia Grybauskaitė was elected the first female President of Lithuania, receiving 68.18 percent of the vote. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalia_Grybauskait%C4%97
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
inquinate (v): To sully or pollute http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inquinate
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
There are cloudy moments when one asks himself if men do not deserve all the disasters into which they rush! No — I recover myself — they do not deserve them. But we, instead of saying "I wish" must say "I will." And what we will, we must will to build it, with order, with method, beginning at the beginning, when once we have been as far as that beginning. We must not only open our eyes, but our arms, our wings. --Henri Barbusse http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henri_Barbusse