Jury study to determine CSI impact

LEICESTER, England, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- British scientists are initiating a study to determine jurors' perceptions of modern forensic science and how CSI-type programs affect their decision making.

The psychological study by the University of Leicester is designed to investigate how accurate people's perceptions about forensic science are, where the beliefs come from and how such forensic awareness might impact on jury decision making.

"In recent years the forensic science techniques available to police have become increasingly sophisticated and, in some cases, difficult to understand within the courtroom," said Lisa Smith from the university's School of Psychology. "The increased attention given to forensic science in both the news and fictional media has also raised awareness of these techniques in the general public."

Smith said jurors are faced with the very difficult task of evaluating many different types of evidence while reaching a verdict that might change the lives of the defendants and victims involved in a criminal case.

"As the complexity of forensic evidence increases with recent advances in technology, it is important to determine how well jurors understand the value of the evidence," she said.