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There's a big gap between "theoretically unreliable" and courts actually recognizing that, unfortunately. Lots of forensics is much more dubious than CSI would
by pjc50 5mo ago
There's a big gap between "theoretically unreliable" and courts actually recognizing that, unfortunately. Lots of forensics is much more dubious than CSI would have you believe.
- thatguy0900 5mo agoMy girlfriends been having me watch law and order svu with her and to be honest it doesn't really even seem trustworthy with how they want to present it. The psychologist guy especially will come up with some wildly detailed assertions about who the criminal is based on nothing
- assimpleaspossi 5mo agoAre we really going to go to a fictional TV show now?
- CDRdude 5mo agoIf a fictional-but-popular TV show treats some kinds of evidence as more reliable than they really are, juries may be primed to believe in the kind of thing the TV show presents as legitimate.
- kalleboo 5mo agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect
- altmanaltman 5mo agoSure but lawyers would know that and ensure evidence doesn't get presented that way right? There are also a lot of other biases that lawyers have to navigate through. Humans are flawed but that doesn't mean everyone in the jury thinks TV is real.
- cwillu 5mo ago“Lots of forensics is much more dubious than CSI would have you believe.” was what was being replied to.
- victorbjorklund 5mo agoIt affects the jury. If the jury watches tv shows that builds the expectation that there is always a bunch of ballistics evidence etc and that it is always fool proof then they will 1) distrust when there isn’t that type of evidence (but enough other evidence) and 2) they will overvalue the evidence when it exists
- bitwize 5mo agoIt affects everybody. I've heard of people arrested in rather more oppressive regimes expecting to be Miranda'd because it's what they know from American cop shows and they thought it was broadly applicable everywhere.
- Broken_Hippo 5mo agoThere is a reason such shows are labeled "copaganda" - it affect people's perception of police and their procedures. It makes the dubious seem less dubious and more believable. I very highly doubt any jury is made aware of the rate of error or unreliability of the this stuff.
- slumberlust 5mo agoSure you aren't watching Psych?
- RobotToaster 5mo ago15 years ago an Israeli company was able to manufacture fake DNA evidence https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18dna.html https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18dna.html