International Cold Case Analysis Project
Full course description
The International Cold Case Analysis Project (ICCAP) is organized once a year and is one of the specialization courses (elective) in the master Forensics, Criminology and Law. A cold case is “an unsolved life crime (murder or manslaughter) or a very serious crime that carries a minimum prison sentence of 12 years” (www.om.nl/onderwerpen/coldcases). This project results from a partnership between UM and Amber Alert Europe and is coordinated by Karsten Bettels from Amber Alert Europe. Under the guidance of a team of UM supervisors and the project coordinator (Karsten Bettels) , students study a cold case. This case is provided by the project coordinator via a secured digital student platform. Students can only work on the case via this Stud.ID platform in a safe/private environment. Students have to sign a confidentiality agreement and a memorandum of understanding before getting access to the case file.
Students work in a team of 10 UM students complemented with students from other universities worldwide. By working in a multidisciplinary group, the case is looked at from different backgrounds/disciplines where students can make a unique contribution from their own discipline in terms of providing new insights and a possible solution to the case.
At the end of the elective course, an online presentation is given to the UM supervisors and the project coordinator. This presentation will also be attended by police and prosecutors.
The elective course runs from October 7th until May 16th. The official start is on October 21st with an online welcome meeting at 16:00. Between October 7th and October 21st students are required to upload the requested documents and become familiar with the Stud.ID portal and the other team members.
It is a labor-intensive course that requires app. 2 days/week.
Course objectives
Getting acquainted with a complex criminal case file and learning to deal with evidence in criminal cases in relation to possible scenarios. The main goal is to learn to think logically and try to arrive at new insights without assumptions.
Prerequisites
There will be a selection process for this elective course. A total of 10 students from different disciplines can participate. Students from the Master Forensics, Criminology and Law can apply for a place in this course.
To apply, students should submit a motivation letter, curriculum vitae and grade list(s). Based on these documents, students will be invited for a selection interview. Selection criteria include: study results, relevant additional activities, experience with criminal cases and good writing skills.
You can apply for a spot on the ICCAP team by emailing a motivation letter, curriculum vitae and grade list to J.noack@maastrichtuniversity.nl before Sept. 16th. The selection interviews will take place on September 24th. Selected students will be invited by mail.