The CSI Effect

You might have heard of the CSI Effect before. If you haven't, it refers to the idea that jurors now need the prosecution to present some form of DNA evidence at a criminal trial in order to convict because television shows like CSI have led them to expect it. The linked article from NPR actually references a study that showed no correlation between the TV habits of the subjects and their desire for scientific evidence.
However, it does seem that, regardless of the particular impact of crime TV, juries do place high esteem in DNA results for deciding guilt. This may lie outside the realm of fictional crime labs, but instead have to do with how we as a society view the reliability of DNA evidence. In contrast to the difficulties convincing Bosniak women to accept the validity of DNA identification, today's US citizens seem perfectly willing to believe in what a DNA expert tells them on the witness stand. In fact, this evidence seems to carry more weight than what may be considered subjective evidence like eyewitness testimony and assessments of character. But whether this faith is justified is another question.
There have been numerous incidences where crime labs have been found to present false result which have resulted in wrongful convictions. This is because even though DNA is objective in and of itself, there are many elements involved in the process of getting it from the crime scene to the witness stand which are not. For one, the technician interpreting the results is human and capable of mistakes. For another, and this is something that the article addresses briefly, juries have many misconceptions about what exactly DNA evidence is. Many do not know that DNA evidence is more useful at eliminating a suspect than identifying a specific one. This is why it is important to get an expert at the trial to explain what the evidence means, but even so, the preconceived ideas of the jury may be hard to rectify. What is certain is that, just like in the case of the missing in To Know Where He Lies, DNA evidence alone is not enough.

Article: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/06/133497696/is-the-csi-effect-influencing-courtrooms