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The CSI Effect (view source)

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(Import from TV Tropes TVT:Main.TheCSIEffect 2012-07-01, editor history TVTH:Main.TheCSIEffect, CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported license)
 
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A particular form of [[Reality Is Unrealistic]] wherein a particular work is shaping the ways that crime is perpetrated, discovered, and prosecuted. It shows up in a number of ways:
 
=== '''''The only way to prove anything in a criminal case beyond reasonable doubt is to use the most state-of-the-art, comprehensive analysis.'' ==='''
 
No, this isn't literally true, but in some stories it is a [[Self Fulfilling Prophecy]].
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See these stories from ''[http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/050425/25csi.htm U.S News and World Report]'', ''[http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-08-05-csi-effect_x.htm USA Today]'' and [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/21/earlyshow/main681949.shtml CBS News].
 
=== '''''Criminals who are aware of crime scene analysis tend to take steps to throw off the analysis.'' ==='''
 
These steps are relatively novel, such as picking up spent shell casings. Some criminals have deliberately planted DNA samples from other plausible suspects to derail any investigation. In [http://web.archive.org/web/20070712154908/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060131/ai_n16030038# one particularly extreme case], Jermaine McKinney of Ohio committed a double murder, then cleaned the crime scene (and himself) with bleach to destroy DNA traces, bundled the bodies before transporting them and lined his car trunk with plastic to prevent fiber and blood contamination, collected his cigarette butts and took numerous other steps; he was only caught because he was unable to dispose of his murder weapon (a crowbar) in an unexpectedly frozen lake and simply left it sitting on the ice.
 
=== '''''Civilians who are aware of crime scene analysis leave crime scenes alone or take steps to preserve the evidence.'' ==='''
 
This helps make up for the second effect.
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Some CSI labs have complained that more police officers call them to crime scenes and submit much more evidence to them. Yes, that's right; real-life CSI techs are complaining about being expected to help solve more crimes. This is because real life CSI labs these days tend to have a month or two of backlog ''before'' they take on new cases. Making them take relatively minor cases hurts more than it helps.
 
=== '''''Forensic reports from the prosecution are always considered true.'' ==='''
 
This one, when it happens, severely annoys defense attorneys. This happens even though the science behind forensics is constantly evolving, and many labs are using methods no longer considered certain.
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