Crime Scene HouseCrime Scene House (CSH)

Don a pair of protective gloves and booties, and step into a live "crime scene."

Gwynedd Mercy University's Crime Scene House (CSH) is a hands-on learning environment managed by the Criminal Justice program. The site of a former convent, this three-story house features rooms with various simulated crime scenes, from drug use to murder to sexual assault and more.

Here, students will learn everything from the first knock to the last application of crime scene tape, including how to serve warrants; how to take fingerprints, DNA samples, and other forensic evidence; how to secure a house; and how to carefully maneuver through a space that may have weapons, drugs, or suspects. 

The CSH features: 

  • Kitchen, bathroom, primary bedroom, adolescent bedroom, and office
  • "Flop house," simulating a low-rent motel used for hoarding or drug use
  • Interrogation room, where students will serve as detectives, suspects, and witnesses
  • "Blood spatter" room, where students will measure and analyze arterial spray from a number of angles, as well as test for a range of fluids that may be found on a carpet
  • A room for analyzing fingerprints, student observation, and all other educational opportunities that cannot be completed in a classroom
  • Cameras in every room, so that instructors can monitor students' work and provide feedback

Students in these Criminal Justice courses have the opportunity to learn in the CSH: 

CRJ 225 - Juvenile Delinquency
CRJ 250 - Police and Law Enforcement
CRJ 251 - Victimology
CRJ 303 - Sexual Deviance 
CRJ 320 - Forensics: CSI 
CRJ 326 - Criminal Procedures 
CRJ 405 - Criminal Investigations 

The CSH has also hosted law enforcement training for crime scene analysis. 

Organizations interested in tours or hosting a training or event at the CSH should contact:
Patrick McGrain, PhD
Associate Professor and Program Director, Criminal Justice
(215) 646-7300, x21464
mcgrain.p@gmercyu.edu