Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2011 | Page 9

FORENSICS JOURNAL

A Day In The Life Of Teen CSI Baltimore Chair,
Marie Sennett
Carolyn Hess Johnson, Esq.
A project born of the promise to keep teens off the streets has evolved
into an opportunity for Baltimore City youth to learn firsthand about
how a criminal case moves through the justice system. The South
Baltimore Teen Council has brought together the Baltimore Police
Department and the Recreation Department as well as attorneys
from the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office and the Office of
the Public Defender to create a unique program known as Teen CSI
Baltimore.

HOW WAS THE CONCEPT OF TEEN CSI BALTIMORE
DEVELOPED?
Three years ago, the South Baltimore Teen Council thought a CSI
night would be fun. We conducted a mini murder investigation in a
three hour period. The participants were excited about the program
and wanted to continue the case by taking it to a mock trial.
The second year we opened it up to other Recreation Centers in
Baltimore and ran a six week program to include a trial and investigation techniques. The teens thought that the program was too short.
Police Commissioner Bealefeld concurred as the goal was to provide
the teens with as realistic an experience as possible.

A staged armed robbery is the setting for the initial investigation. The
participants spend ten weeks working through the evidence at the
Baltimore Police and Fire Training Center to learn investigation techniques and procedures. Learning to collect, test and preserve evidence
from a staged crime scene is only the beginning of the investigative
process. After the crime scene investigation, the teens work with
lawyers from the Office of the Public Defender and the Office of the
State’s Attorney to bring the case to trial. The trial, conducted in an
actual courtroom, allows the participants to act as forensic scientists,
lab technicians, lawyers, witnesses, officers, the defendant, and jurors.

This year, which is our third, the program was expanded to ten weeks
for crime scene investigation, five weeks of legal training, one week of
trial preparation, and the trial.

WHAT TYPE OF CASE DID YOU WORK ON LAST YEAR?
WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME OF THE CASE?

Marie Sennett serves as the program coordinator. With a Bachelors
of Social Work and a Juris Doctor degree, Marie has been advocating
for and assisting the underserved throughout her entire professional
career. Her extensive professional experience includes having been a
nursing home resident advocate, a Public Defender in Manhattan, a
Civil Rights Attorney for Prisoners and a Litigation Director as well
as an Executive Director for D.C. Prisoners Legal Service Project. She
is currently an Assistant Public Defender in Baltimore City.

Last year we had a murder at Silo Point. The man charged was one of
the maintenance staff who had a reputation as a heavy drinker with
a short temper. He shot someone because they woke him up while
he was napping on the job. The jury convicted him of voluntary
intoxication but determined he was too drunk to intentionally shoot
someone. The teens did a great job presenting the case – both as witnesses and attorneys.

In the fall of 2010, Carolyn Hess Johnson, the Editor of the Stevenson University Forensics Journal, interviewed Marie Sennett.

HOW MANY TEENS PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM? IS
THERE A SELECTION PROCESS OR ARE ALL APPLICANTS
TAKEN?

WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE SOUTH BALTIMORE TEEN
COUNCIL?

This year started with fifty teens. All participants are self selecting
because it is a huge commitment of time after school. Unfortunately,
we had twenty drop out due to the heavy snowfalls this winter which
extended the schedule significantly.

In 2004, the South Baltimore Teen Council arose out of a mediation
effort with the Community Conferencing Center. The old neighbors
and the new neighbors of South Baltimore were at odds on what to
do to get the teens off the corners and away from the drug dealers.
Throughout the discussions, the teens continually challenged the
adults to give them something to do to stay off the streets. The South
Baltimore Teen Council was born. The neighborhood association and
the Ella Bailey Recreation partnered for fundraising and volunteers to
make it a reality.

HOW LONG DOES THE PROGRAM RUN AND HOW MANY
HOURS PER WEEK DO PARTICIPANTS SPEND WITH PROFESSIONALS IN THE PROGRAM?
The program begins the first week of January and runs for seventeen
weeks. The