by Trisha Orlando

Created on: March 31, 2009   Last Updated: April 01, 2009

Fictional television series, such as "CSI" and "Law and Order", are based on true stories. One could in fact consider them semi-fictional. Does this influence the viewing public's perception of the real justice system? Are the fictional investigators and researchers portrayed accurately? More importantly, are the time frames in solving crimes misleading to the public? On the other hand, do these type of shows help promote an insight to the American public on the processes of the judicial system? This paper will examine those issues by comparing fictional processes and the roles of the courtroom participants with the reality of the legal system.

The justice system has always been influenced by books, movies and television. Back in the early days of television, "Perry Mason" was a popular courtroom series about a successful defense attorney. At that time real judicial process, defense attorneys were not allowed to physically move toward witnesses for questioning. Christopher Stone, director of the Vera Institute of Justice, says that directors "couldn't fit Mason and the witness in the same frame, so the directors had Mason walk over and lean on the witness rail. Then juries expected lawyers to do that, and if they didn't, jurors thought something was wrong" (Goehner, 2004). The television series "Dragnet", says Stone, helped support the Miranda ruling by showing that the reading of rights did not hinder interrogations. This opinion was not shared by many law enforcement officials and politicians.

"C.S.I" a show about a team of crime scene investigators started in the fall of 2000. By 2001 its popularity with the public caused spinoff shows and the creation of more crime scene investigation shows such as "Law & Order", "Criminal Minds", "Cold Case Files" "Forensic Files", and others. By 2005, the Nielsen ratings reported that six of the 10 most popular shows were crime dramas series (truTV.com, 2008).

On these series, DNA testing is used frequently, with no mention of the costs or time lapses that occur in real life. The impression given to the viewers is that DNA testing is the answer to resolving every case. The reality is DNA testing is expensive and time-consuming. In smaller communities across America, even basic fingerprinting equipment is not affordable (Karlen, 2009).

As a result of fictional TV investigations, prosecutors are spending valuable time explaining to juries why "CSI" techniques are not always vital for every investigation.

According to jury

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