While many families around the world consume biased information from crime scene shows like 48 Hours Mystery, CSI, Castle and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, the perception of what a courtroom trial actually looks like is altered. By watching these television shows, people develop their opinions about crime scene investigations and how information is gathered; their ideas may become extreme depending on what they have seen on television, this affects how he or she might handle their role as a juror in a criminal case. Although crime investigation programs are intended for entertainment purposes only, juries have been influenced when deciding a defendant's verdict, tended to have high expectations of the evidence in a case, and assumed that all criminal investigations involved cutting-edge technology. Americans watch crime scene investigations showing that they subconsciously compare real-life murder investigations to the fictional TV version. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is one of the most watched shows in the United States, causing outcry over the "CSI effect" in many courtroom trials. The CSI effect is “the impact that viewing fictional crime investigation shows like Crime Scene Investigation (“CSI”) has on the real-life decision-making processes of jurors” (Lawson). It was not until 2005 that the CSI effect became a controversial issue in the United States, when the media exploded with claims that television coverage was "causing changes in juror behavior in real-life criminal trials" ( Cole). Now that the CSI effect has been seen in many court systems across the country, prosecutors must explain why they do not have criminal evidence for their specific case, leading juries to return questionable verdicts. When j. ..... middle of paper ......ua K. "Judges should take steps to counter CSI's influence on juries." Forensic technology.Ed. Sylvia Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Current Controversies. Rep. from “The CSI effect: does it really exist?” » National Association of District Attorneys, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints in Context.Web. November 18, 2013. Shelton, Donald E. “Expectations of Forensic Evidence Have No Impact on Jurors' Decisions.” » Forensic technology.Ed. Sylvia Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Current Controversies. Rep. Excerpt from “The CSI effect: does it really exist?” » Journal of the National Institute of Justice (March 2008). Opposing viewpoints in Context.Web. November 18, 2013. “When Guilt or Innocence Depends on Fact or Fiction: CSI and Similar Shows Blur the Lines Between TV and Reality.” » Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada] November 22, 2006: A16. Opposing viewpoints in Context.Web. November 18. 2013.