Beyond Frequency: Perceived Realism and theCSIEffect

Abstract

Bien que policiers, avocats, juges, voire certains membres de la communauté, croient que les émissions télévisées de type CSI ont eu un impact important sur le système de justice pénale (impact nommé « l'effet CSI »), des recherches empiriques n'ont pas démontré de lien entre l'écoute d'émissions policières et les verdicts. La littérature a néanmoins établi que de hauts taux d'écoute d'émissions policières sont liés à de plus grandes attentes concernant les preuves, différentes attitudes face aux types de preuves et différents niveaux (rapportés par les personnes elles-mêmes) de compréhension des preuves scientifiques. Cette étude tente d'élargir notre compréhension de l'influence de ce type d'émissions sur les attitudes, les attentes et les verdicts en examinant l'influence du réalisme apparent (c.-à-d. le degré auquel les émissions de télévision sont perçues comme étant des représentations réalistes et exactes du domaine dépeint) dans ce contexte, étant donné que certaines études ont identifié le réalisme apparent comme étant un modérateur des effets de la télévision sur les attitudes. Les participants durent jouer le rôle de faux jurés et lire la transcription d'un procès où la Couronne présentait des preuves génétiques. Les participants devaient aussi indiquer la fréquence à laquelle ils regardaient des émissions policières (fréquence) ainsi que le taux de réalisme dont ils croyaient que ces émissions faisaient preuve (réalisme apparent). Les résultats ont révélé plusieurs effets intéressants directs et indirects tant de la fréquence d'écoute que du réalisme apparent sur le traitement des renseignements, les attitudes et les prises de décision du faux juré. Ceci semble indiquer que, afin de bien comprendre l'effet que les émissions policières peuvent avoir sur des jurés potentiels, la fréquence d'écoute et le taux de réalisme apparent doivent être pris en compte.Mots clés : prise de décision du jury, l'effet CSI, perceptions des preuves médico-légales, perceptions des témoignages, réalisme apparent Although police, lawyers, judges, and even some community members believe that CSI-type shows have seriously affected the criminal justice system (termed the CSI effect), empirical research has not demonstrated a link between crime television viewing and verdicts. However, the literature has established that

CrashEd – A live immersive, learning experience embedding STEM subjects in a realistic, interactive crime scene

“…The evidence provided by Maeder and Corbett (2015) amongst others suggests that the interest in crime reflected in the media reinforces the potential for it to be used as a tool for education. This is where the idea of using a 'real' crime scene as a hook to engage young people in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects was initially conceived.…”

The CSI Effect, DNA Discourse, and Popular Crime Dramas*

“…Maeder and Corbett () provided 119 undergraduate Canadian university students with a trial transcript and asked questions about a verdict decision, evidence strength and relevance, personal characteristics of the offender, and television viewing habits. They found that “those who watched more crime television were actually less certain of the defendant's guilt” (Maeder and Corbett, :102).…”

“…Both fictional and reality‐based crime shows are popular genres of television programming, routinely showing up in the Nielson top 20 ratings. In recent years, significant attention has been paid to understanding the impact of forensic television programming on the operation of the criminal justice system, specifically labeled the “CSI effect.” While there are various definitions of the CSI effect, Maeder and Corbett () provide the most recent definition. Utilizing the work of Heinrick () and Lawson (), Maeder and Corbett (:84) define the CSI effect as “the perception commonly held by lawyers, judges, police officers, and even the general public that, due to the apparent availability of forensic evidence on crime television shows such as CSI, jurors may be either unwilling to convict in the absence of such evidence or overly reliant on it when it is presented.”…”

“…Attitudes toward the police are in part reflective of the public's perception of their ability to solve crimes (Callanan and Rosenberger, ). The use of DNA evidence in crime fictional programs may impact public perceptions of police effectiveness in solving real‐life crime, which may in turn influence how they behave as jurors (Hayes‐Smith and Levett, ; Maeder and Corbett, ). If television programs depict DNA evidence as crucial to solving crime, the public may expect police to collect such evidence and to use it to solve cases (Baskin and Sommers, ; Maeder and Corbett, ).…”

“…The use of DNA evidence in crime fictional programs may impact public perceptions of police effectiveness in solving real‐life crime, which may in turn influence how they behave as jurors (Hayes‐Smith and Levett, ; Maeder and Corbett, ). If television programs depict DNA evidence as crucial to solving crime, the public may expect police to collect such evidence and to use it to solve cases (Baskin and Sommers, ; Maeder and Corbett, ). Failure to do so may result in more negative perceptions of police, which may result in less reporting of crime, potentially leading to a vicious cycle of negative perceptions of police by the community, and of the community by police.…”