CSI Effect: How Forensic Science on TV Impacts Our Real Justice System

Thanks to CSI and relatives, here is what the public thinks image manipulation can do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxq9yj2pVWk

The ridiculousness may be lost on you if you need an explanation why a digital image of a crappy security camera can't be used to zoom in on a reflection of an eyeball. Or of why a 2-dimensional image can't be used to construct a 3-dimensional image of the scene, that you can rotate to see objects out of the line of view of the camera.

My brother-in-law is a homicide detective and is constantly asked by victims' families why is it taking so long to solve cases when it's over in CSI by the end of the hour.

Atlanta's crime lab is so backed up most items aren't even submitted unless they are key pieces of evidence; they just won't be ready in time otherwise.

Of course my wife doesn't find this out until after the jury renderered a verdict (with her as a juror). Other than the medical examinier's testimony, there was almost no physical evidence.

This might be of interest:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI_effect