The “CSI effect”
Television dramas that rely on forensic science to solve crimes are affecting the administration of justice
OPENING a new training centre in forensic science (pictured above) at the University of Glamorgan in South Wales recently, Bernard Knight, formerly one of Britain's chief pathologists, said that because of television crime dramas, jurors today expect more categorical proof than forensic science is capable of delivering. And when it comes to the gulf between reality and fiction, Dr Knight knows what he is talking about: besides 43 years' experience of attending crime scenes, he has also written dozens of crime novels.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline "The “CSI effect”"
From the April 24th 2010 edition
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