The CSI Effect, DNA Discourse, and Popular Crime Dramas*

Abstract

ObjectivesMissing from the literature is an assessment of how forensic evidence, particularly DNA evidence, is portrayed across several fictional crime dramas, rather than just one drama, namely, CSI. The purpose of this article is to explore how DNA evidence is presented in four fictional crime dramas, the context in which it is discussed, and the impact DNA has on case clearance in these fictional dramas.MethodsWe drew a systematic sample by taking every fourth episode within each of four crime shows: CSI (Las Vegas), Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, and Without a Trace. Transcripts were created for the 117 included episodes. We used both qualitative and quantitative content analyses to analyze the discourse of DNA within these crime drama episodes.ResultsOur results indicate that police and forensic dramas both contain frequent references to DNA, while FBI dramas rarely discuss DNA, at least in any meaningful context. Additionally, DNA is not used to solve a majority of fictional victimizations in these dramas.ConclusionsThese results also provide context for future research on the CSI effect, particularly in terms of measuring crime show viewership variables.