CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was introduced to viewers in October 2000. Since then, the franchise has added two versions in major metropolitan areas, now tackling crime scenarios in Las Vegas, Miami and New York. . Based on the most recent Nielsen ratings for primetime television shows, the CSI franchise claimed approximately 35 million viewers during the 2010–2011 viewing season. The popularity of forensic dramas on television has led legal officials to express the view that there is a "CSI effect" that alters the composition of juries and the outcomes of criminal trials. The differences between television fiction and real-life crime solving are many, and when jurors view themselves as pseudo-experts, those lines can become blurred in the courtroom. Jurors have unrealistic ideas about handling evidence. “Such programs create the impression that forensic laboratories are staffed with highly trained staff, equipped with a full complement of state-of-the-art instrumentation, and have the resources necessary to close each case in a timely manner. » (Houck 85) Forensic laboratories face funding gaps, a lack of properly trained personnel, and constant technological advancements. Thomas Mauriello, a forensic pathologist at the University of Maryland, estimates that about 40 percent of the forensic knowledge presented on CSI does not exist. Carol Henderson, director of the National Clearinghouse for Science, Technology and the Law at Stetson University College of Law, said in a Stetson University College of Law publication that jurors are "sometimes disappointed if some of the new technologies they think exist are not used”. (Houck 87) Investigators often have to explain to victims that it is not possible to collect a sample of...... middle of paper...... public opinion about the trustworthiness of the government . The studies were not able to clearly define whether the CSI effect had a real influence on the trial results. However, surveys indicate that many potential jurors believe they know more about criminology after watching the shows. Viewers of CSI may become more knowledgeable about forensic science and investigative processes, but this knowledge does not affect the outcome of the criminal justice process. Works Cited Dioso-Villa, Simon A. Cole, and Rachel. “INVESTIGATION INTO THE ‘CSI EFFECT’: MEDIA CRISIS AND CRIMINAL LAW LITIGATION.” Stanford Law Review 61.6 (2009): 1335-1374. Houck, Max M. “CSI: Reality.” Scientific American July 2006: 85-89. U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics. February 13 2012 .