 By 2005 , some prosecutors had begun altering their trial preparations and procedures in an attempt to counter the CSI effect . Some ask questions about forensic television viewership during voir dire to target biased jurors ; others use opening statements and closing arguments to minimize the possible impact of the CSI effect , and instruct jurors to adhere to the court 's standards of evidence rather than those seen on television . Prosecutors have even hired expert witnesses to explain why particular forms of physical evidence are not relevant to their cases . In one Australian murder case , the defense counsel requested a judge @-@ only trial to avoid having DNA evidence misinterpreted by a jury . By 2006 , the CSI effect had become widely accepted as reality among legal professionals , despite little empirical evidence to validate or disprove it . A 2008 survey by researcher Monica Robbers showed that roughly 80 percent of all American legal professionals believed they had had decisions affected by forensic television programs . 
