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Millions of people around the world watch American TV shows such as CSI and NCIS, which make forensic science a major part of the narrative. The upside: novel entertainment and huge revenues for the creators of the hit dramas. The downside: "Prosecutors have been complaining that shows like CSI are creating the expectation that every trial must feature high-tech forensic tests. They fear that when they don't show off CSI-style technology, juries might let criminals get away with murder."
Last spring, the PBS news program Frontline went public with an episode titled The Real CSI. The subheading: "How reliable is the science behind forensics?"
- Evidence collected at crime scenes -- everything from fingerprints to bite marks -- is routinely called upon in the courtroom to prosecute the most difficult crimes and put the accused behind bars. And though glamorized on commercial television, in the real world it's not so cut-and-dried. FRONTLINE investigates the serious flaws in some of the best-known tools of forensic science.
I downloaded the podcast version of the program (audio only) way back when, and it sat in my itunes account until I listened to it a couple of months ago. What I learned blew me away...and even shook my confidence in the use of fingerprints (the program will explain that better than I can here).
I consider this program a must-listen (or -watch). Trust me.
Download the podcast version of the program via itunes (#22/5-6-12).
Watch the program online.
