CSI Summer Camp to feature speakers from Innocence Project, individual exonerated after 18 years in prison

Waynesburg University’s annual CSI Summer Camp activities will include presentations from two individuals from the Innocence Project, a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals. Craig M. Cooley, staff attorney, and Thomas Doswell, an individual exonerated on post conviction DNA test results, will speak at 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 30, in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center. The event is free and the public is cordially invited to attend.

“I hope the Innocence Project presentations give the campers an awareness of the impact their future work may have on an individual,” said Alison Chasko, forensic science research coordinator at Waynesburg University. “I feel that society perceives that forensics and criminal justice is about catching the bad guys, but it is about protecting the innocent as well. I hope the campers take away the importance and value of ethics in this field.”

Doswell, who was wrongfully accused of rape, criminal intent, simple assault, terroristic threats and unlawful restraint, contacted the Innocence Project in 1996 after spending 10 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. In 1998 Doswell filed a request for testing that was denied because the motion was filed late.

In 2004 the Innocence Project and local counsel James DePasquale filed a motion to have the case evidence subject to DNA testing after confirming it was located in the police department’s property room. Testing was granted in March of 2005. The DNA test proved Doswell’s innocence. He was released August 1, 2005, after spending 18 years in prison.

Contributing causes to his conviction included eyewitness misidentification and government misconduct. For 19 years Doswell maintained his innocence, refusing to confess to a crime that he did not commit. Doswell was 25 years old when he was convicted of the crime.

Cooley will share experiences related to his representation of clients seeking access to post-conviction DNA testing and release from convictions based on exculpatory DNA evidence. Prior to joining the Innocence Project, Cooley represented death row inmates in federal and state post-conviction proceedings. He has also worked as an investigator and caseworker.

Cooley received his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. He also holds a Master of Science degree in forensic science from the University of New Haven and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.

The event will conclude with a question and answer session.

The camp, held Sunday, June 27, through Thursday, July 1, affords high school participants the opportunity to train with certified experts in a small group setting while making valuable connections with professionals and peers. In order to accomplish this educational aim, the program is organized to keep students constantly engaged and challenged throughout the course of the five days, as would be their experience in the professional setting depicted on such popular television shows as CSI.

In addition to the speakers, the camp will include sessions on burial remains, surveillance, ballistics, computer forensics, trace evidence, investigations, arson and a cadaver dog demonstration. The CSI Summer Camp has experienced steady growth as its offerings allow campers hands-on, real world experience.

For more information, contact Chasko at 724-627-2072.

Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three adult centers located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and is one of only 27 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.

# # #

Released June 23, 2010 
Contact: Pam Cunningham, Assistant Director of University Relations
724.852.3384 or pcunning@waynesburg.edu