Gwynedd Mercy University turns former residence into crime scene lab for criminal justice students

Just past the entrance of Gwynedd Mercy University, a two-story Colonial house serves as an unusual training ground for students in the criminal justice program. The building, which once housed the Sisters of Mercy, has been converted into the university’s new Crime Scene House.

The Crime Scene House is designed to provide hands-on experience for students preparing for careers in law enforcement and investigation. Patrick McGrain, director of GMercyU’s criminal justice program, explained the motivation behind this initiative: “We really wanted to give all of the students a hands-on environment where they could learn, front to back, what it was like to be an investigator or a police officer.”

Students are required to wear protective gear before entering and are monitored by professors via cameras installed throughout the house. The facility features staged crime scenes that can include everything from fingerprints on kitchenware to simulated drug-transport vehicles outside. Each room may contain different scenarios so that students can practice identifying evidence and conducting interviews.

Classes typically start with discussions before moving into practical exercises at the house. Instructors—many of whom have backgrounds in law enforcement—monitor student progress and review recorded footage during class sessions. Feedback from both peers and professionals helps students understand real-world work situations.

McGrain highlighted the importance of this approach: “You could be on a mock trial team all you want, but until you actually have 12 people in a jury box, you have no idea what it’s like to be in a courtroom,” he said. “We can teach the students theoretically in a classroom all we want, but the closer we can get to showing them what they’re going to do, how they’re going to do it,” the more prepared they’ll be.

Jerome Mathew, a third-year student who plans to enter state or federal law enforcement after graduation, expressed his appreciation for the program: “It makes [me] a lot more confident, a lot more comfortable knowing that I’ll have an idea of what to expect, whether it’s [at the] academy or even further into my career.”

Andrew Potter from the University of Georgia noted that companies are increasingly prioritizing skills over degrees when hiring new employees. He said: “The bubble of higher education and the bubble of industry — those two bubbles need to come together. The closer those two bubbles are, the better it will be for all sides, especially for the students and their futures, and the values that they can drive not just for themselves, but for their communities, their state, their nation, their world.”

Jay Roberts at Warren Wilson College observed that facilities like Crime Scene Houses help colleges stand out as competition among institutions grows. Many schools now require experiential learning opportunities across various disciplines—including museum apprenticeships for history majors or performance projects for music students—to help graduates build relevant skills and professional networks.

Vivienne Felix at Washington and Jefferson College stated these experiences offer significant benefits: critical thinking development and leadership skills among them. Edwin Blanton at University of Texas San Antonio added that such programs foster student engagement and retention by helping learners confirm their chosen paths early on.

Blanton explained: “We know when students feel connected, when they feel like ‘yep, I’m on the right path,’ this is what I need to be doing,’ they’re likely to stay there and get through to graduation.” He also noted that discovering early if a field isn’t suitable is valuable: “Being able to have multiple other experiences — whether that’s job shadowing, internships… as you move through that help to solidify ‘yes…’ or ‘this is not what I want…’ is extremely valuable.”

While some experiential learning initiatives can be expensive for colleges to implement, Felix said institutions often find ways around budget constraints because these programs support both career readiness and student retention.

At GMercyU specifically, McGrain was able to repurpose an existing campus building rather than construct something new—a solution made possible after pandemic-related delays postponed earlier plans.

Looking ahead, McGrain hopes that further improvements will make the Crime Scene House even more useful as part of a developing forensic science minor. There are also plans to open its doors for local law enforcement training.