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SIU law school and SIUE forensic program present hands-on 'Scene to Courtroom' camp for high-school students
Summary
At a Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees meeting, SIUE and the Simmons Law School described a five-day forensic camp that gave 36 high-school students hands-on crime-scene and courtroom experience; presenters said scholarships will be offered and registration for June 2026 will open in March.
The Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees heard a presentation on a joint SIUE–Simmons Law School program that ran a five-day hands-on forensic camp for rising 10th–12th graders.
Provost Tucker introduced the program as a collaboration between SIUE’s Belleville campus and SIUC’s Simmons Law School and invited presenters Kacie Parker of the Simmons Law School and Tom Spudich, SIUE’s forensic program director, to summarize outcomes. Parker and Spudich described a camp that combined crime-scene investigation, laboratory analysis and courtroom practice. Parker said the pilot served 36 students from five high schools and divided participants into four teams working four different mock crime scenes. Staff and volunteers included law-school faculty, local judges and attorneys, and forensic instructors.
A student who attended the program, Dawson, told the board the mock trial and crime-scene work were the highlights: “My favorite part of it was going to the crime scene, analyzing ... and looking at all the evidence, collecting it,” he said. Two student assistants, Paige (a recent SIUE graduate) and Harley (a second-year SIUE master’s student), told trustees the camp built leadership and confidence while giving campers exposure to working professionals.
Presenters outlined the camp schedule: roughly two-and-a-half days focused on evidence gathering and lab work (fingerprints, impressions, basic DNA exercises, blood-spatter measurement) and two-and-a-half days on courtroom skills (opening/closing statements, direct and cross-examination, objections and trial etiquette). They said two sitting St. Clair County judges and one retired St. Clair County judge helped supervise the mock trials and that faculty attorneys coached student teams during courtroom exercises.
On access and demand, the presenters said 48 students registered, about 36 participated, and the waitlist exceeded 100. To reduce no-shows they plan to introduce a modest enrollment fee (proposed at $50) and a lottery system; they also said scholarships will be available for students who cannot afford the fee so no interested student would be turned away. Registration for the next camp is planned to open in March for a June 2026 session.
Trustees praised the collaboration and asked whether the program could be expanded to the southern region of the state. Presenters said the crime-scene and courtroom elements are portable and that the program team is considering a second week or a regional offering while improving outreach to more high schools.
The board took no formal vote on the program; the presentation concluded before the meeting moved to other agenda items.
Next steps: presenters will refine the enrollment process, finalize scholarship details, and bring registration and program logistics forward for the June 2026 camp.
