Crime Scene FAQ for Teachers
How does a classroom subscription work?
A classroom subscription gives you and your students detective-level access to Crime Scene.
What is included with detective-level access?
With a Crime Scene subscription, you and your students will be able to:
- see the solutions to all previous cases
- view subscriber-exclusive bonus material where available
- access the latest updates in the current investigation as soon as it becomes available
- use Ask the Detective to ask questions and exchange theories with Crime Scene detectives
What if I don't want my students to view the solution yet?
As the teacher, you decide when to give your students the detective-level access that comes with your class subscription.
When you give them that access, they will be able to see the solution to the case you're working on as well as all other solved Crime Scene cases.
Without detective-level access, your students will be able to view all of the case documents except the solution.
How do I get a classroom subscription?
Visit the Crime Scene subscribe page and select your plan.
What are the classroom subscription options?
- The one-year nonrecurring subscription includes detective-level access for up to 100 students.
- The 90-day nonrecurring subscription includes detective-level access for up to 35 students.
How can I pay?
- Credit card
- PayPal
- Purchase order
- To pay with a school purchase order, email it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
How do I add my students and give them access?
After you purchase your subscription, you'll receive a coupon code along with a link where your students can sign up for their own Crime Scene user accounts.
Please note:
- Your students are automatically opted out of our weekly email newsletter that provides updates on the current case. They can sign up to receive the newsletter at any time if they wish to.
- To protect user security, each student must create their own account. Student user accounts cannot be added in bulk.
How many cases come with the subscription?
Subscribers always have access to the current investigation at Crime Scene plus our archive of solved cases.
Where can I find the solved cases?
Our 10 most recent investigations are available via the Previous Cases menu at the top of every page.
- Solutions to the current investigation and the most recently solved case are available to everyone at no charge.
Cases older than that can be found on the Case Archive page, which typically has around 20 additional cases.
- The solutions to all other previous cases are available exclusively to subscribers.
How do Crime Scene cases work?
Crime Scene cases follow the progress of an investigation via the documents in the case file.
What kind of case documents?
A Crime Scene case begins with the police incident report filed by the detectives who responded to the scene of the crime.
From there, we follow the investigation through the case file documents, including police reports, crime lab reports, interview transcripts, suspect/witness biographies, press coverage, and more.
How long is a Crime Scene case?
An active investigation at crimescene.com typically lasts 6–9 weeks, with updates every weekday at noon Central Time.
On average, a case is comprised of between 60 and 95 documents, including police and evidence reports, interview transcripts, biographies, press articles, and more.
Each investigation also has a Case Recap, which is a chronological summary of the investigation—no spoilers—with links to all of the case documents.
How do I use a case in class?
Teachers typically use Crime Scene cases to illustrate lessons.
Should I use the current case or a solved case?
In a class setting, you'd do best to use a solved case and withhold the solution via password until you're ready for students to see it.
- Note: You will need a paid subscription to get the password for the case solutions.
Most case documents print well if needed.
Do you have any sample lesson plans?
Yes! Our Forensic Science Kit: The Missy Hammond Murder comes with free lesson plans and more.
The case documents are available online at https://mommymurdered.com. Click the teacher resource link at the bottom of any page to view sample lesson plans and more.
Note: The Missy Hammond Murder case is recommended for ages 16 and up.
If you only have a few students in your class, a smaller version of the Forensic Science Kit: The Missy Hammond Murder is also available.
How can I incorporate forensic science into my lessons?
Our Forensic Science Kit: The Missy Hammond Murder includes full access to the case documents and incorporates forensic science activities.
The mega kit comes with
- enough fingerprinting and blood testing forensic supplies for 10 workgroups of four students per group.
- sample classroom lesson plans
The case documents are available online at https://mommymurdered.com. Click the teacher resource link at the bottom of any page to view sample lesson plans and more.
Note: The Missy Hammond Murder case is recommended for ages 16 and up.
If you only have a few students in your class, a smaller version of the Forensic Science Kit: The Missy Hammond Murder is also available.
Coming up — Additional kits that combine Crime Scene cases and forensic science activities are currently in development. Watch this space for updates!
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