How true crime stories are influencing the real-life justice system [Video]

For better and worse, a rebirth in our cultural fascination with true crime — spurred, in part, by the launch of the hit podcast Serial a decade ago — has led to changes in the criminal justice system, legal experts say.

“You definitely see prosecutors, judges, criminal defence attorneys all being very cognizant of true crime,” Adam Banner, a criminal defence attorney in Oklahoma, told The Sunday Magazine’s Piya Chattopadhyay. 

Some who work in and study the legal system say it’s changed how professionals approach cases, while also leading to a rise in amateur sleuths attempting to solve their own cases.

Banner says that true crime storytelling can be helpful in exposing flaws within the criminal justice system. 

“When you have situations where an individual is incarcerated for years or decades, and then you see justice served in the back end because of the scrutiny that maybe a true crime documentary provided, that’s very beautiful to see,” Banner said. 

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