The CSI Effect – DNA Evidence in Court

The CSI Effect – DNA Evidence in Court

Daniel Matas of the University of Newcastle Legal Centre argues that DNA-based evidence is not cut and dried proof in court

It's called the 'CSI Effect'. A phenomenon where jurors, largely influenced by the frequent viewing of crime television shows, blindly follow the DNA evidence despite the utterly improbable case theory put forward. Daniel Matas, a solicitor and lecturer at the University of Newcastle Legal Centre, discusses this in an Op-Ed piece for the Newcastle Herald.

Daniel argues that the prevalence of television shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has led people to believe that DNA-based evidence is all the proof a prosecutor needs. Rather, at its highest, all DNA proves is that an accused could be the offender, not that they are.

Read the full article here.

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Contact: Daniel Matas

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