The police, courts, and correctional components of the criminal justice system are portrayed in a number of widely popular hit television shows in contemporary America. Two of these hits, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Law and Order: SVU (Special Victims Unit), are well established and have been recently joined by a third potential hit, Law and Order: Trial by Jury.
In CSI, the investigators are aided by forensic scientists who uncover incriminating evidence through a number of new methods driven by advances in technology. Juries are shown to convict in light of such evidence with little hesitation. However, this is often unrealistic, especially concerning DNA testing. Recently, influenced by shows like this, jurors have begun demanding unreasonable evidence to deliver convictions, a phenomenon Mirsky (2005, p. 1) says is labeled ôThe CSI effect.ö One judge, in a recent case where jurors demanded to know why more DNA testing hadnÆt been performed, stated, ôTV has taught jurors about DNA tests but not about when to use themö (Mirsky, 2005, p. 2).
In Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, we see prosecutors aggressively pursue criminals, often turning to district attorneys they know for favors or for an easier time getting search warrants. In many cases, the prosecutors on the show like Detective John Munch threaten those accused of raping children that they had better cooperate or they will be sent to prisons where there is no compunction about leaving pedophiles to the justice of other inmates. Such a view of the correctional system may be valid, in light of the case of Jeffrey DahmerÆs murder and the murder of Catholic Priest John Geoghan, both guilty of rape of underage boys and both murdered by fellow inmates. Yet detectives like Munch are hailed as ômembers of an elite squadö on the showÆs opening voiceover (Special, 2005, p. 1).
In Law and Order: Trial by Jury, we see judges, prosecutors, de
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