While CSI and its many offshoots are the primary ways in which the general public gains information on forensics, the gap between fiction and reality may be bigger than first expected. Forensic science has been one of the most popular 'designer science' degrees in Australian universities over the past ten years. More and more students are choosing university degree programs in the hope of working with law enforcement agencies to solve crimes. In a society fixated on crime and the criminal mind, this is not surprising.

But to what extent can popular media account for this newfound fascination with forensic science? The television series Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), while well-known, is not the only representation of forensic science and criminalistics in popular culture. Many argue that Truman Capote's 1965 serial novel In Cold Blood was the first depiction of 'true-to-life' crime. Even before then, pulp novels and crime writers had enjoyed success. It is only now that franchises like CSI, and to a lesser extent forensic novelists like Patricia Cornwell, are held responsible for the surge of students moving into forensic science. Even Britney Spears suggested that she was planning to enrol in a forensic-based degree - citing inspiration from, that's right, CSI.

But how has this excitement been felt in Australia? In 2002, Australian Nobel laureate Peter Doherty warned that vogue applied sciences could force universities to become 'cafeteria-style' institutions out of a need to compete for students. Over two-dozen forensic undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are available across the country, encompassing a variety of fields including forensic psychology, biology, chemistry, and environmental forensics. [For a list of degrees, go to http://www.raci.org.au/chemaust/docs/pdf/2005/]

But this choice is not necessarily a bad thing; the majority of forensic degrees have one foot firmly planted in much-needed training in core physical sciences. A forensic toxicologist possesses all the skills of an analytical chemist, but focuses on a specific area. DNA analysis requires a fundamental understanding of everything from genetics to rudimentary biochemistry. Giving scientists the ability to 'fall back' on additional skills gives us a supply of useful professionals for other industries in constant demand. The job market for the graduating forensic scientist in Australia, whilst attractive, is not one that guarantees instant employment. The lack of a private sector in forensic science, like those found in the United States, further damages employment prospects in an already crowded job market.

Those lucky enough to actually gain employment in the forensic industry may discover a world very different to the one portrayed on screen and in print, a phenomenon recently coined the 'CSI effect'. In this phenomenon, a range of people from professions connected to the criminal judicial system have pre-conceived expectations of forensic science, created by its portrayal in the media. In truth, a forensic investigation involves a team of many people, with few seeing an investigation through from the report of an incident to an arrest, trial, and conviction. In addition, cases may remain active for extended periods of time. DNA results might be held up by a backlog of existing casework. Analytical equipment for analysing a paint fragment might be undergoing repairs, and non-essential work may be held over for business hours only. The high drama of the television show is not realised in practice.

This being said, by the time that any prospective forensic scientist graduates and enters the profession, they should no longer be under any illusion about the true nature of their field. These university programs undertake the responsibility to teach forensic science with a real-world perspective and create employable scientists with a reliable knowledge of their area. After all, CSI does have at least some basis in real forensic science, and the writers must get those ideas from somewhere…!

References:

University Admissions Centre
UTS: Centre For Forensic Science
Scientist warns of 'cafeteria' universities, The Canberra Times, 7 August 2002
Royal Australian Chemical Institute