CSI EFFECT ACTIVITY
VIDEO QUESTIONS
Questions Answers
1. Discuss how science plays a crucial role in many courtrooms?
2. How has television impacted the field of forensic science?
3. Explain the process behind the scientific method and how it has the potential to lead to a "feedback loop".
4. Explain the purpose of a trial and the roles of those in the courtroom (including the judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, and scientists).
5. When collecting samples, discuss the importance of identifying a control.
6. Explain why it was helpful for scientists to compare substrate samples in the arson case discussed in the video.
7. Discuss the reliability of the analytical sciences in the courtroom.
8. Discuss the influence of bias in forensic science and provide an example from the video.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Questions Answers
1. Do you think you suffer from the “CSI effect”? Why or why not?
2. What problems do you think this “effect” has on the criminal justice system?