Links

Curriculum Vitae

Cold Case Foundation

Center for Gender in Global Context

Research Consortium on Gender-Based Violence

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Biography

Karen Holt, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and criminologist in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. She has dedicated her career to working to prevent and respond to sexual abuse and to produce research that can be used to inform policy and pratice. She is involved in multidisciplinary collaborations with law enforcement, legal professionals, corrections staff and providers, advocates and organizations that are working toward making society safer, with the shared goal of "no more victims."

Dr. Holt received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in forensic psychology and holds a master’s and doctoral degree in criminal justice. Her research focuses on sexual deviance, sexual offending, and sexually motivated violence. She has presented her research at both national and international criminology conferences. Her professional membership affiliations include both Michigan and the national chapters of the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA), the American Society of Criminology, The Homicide Research Working Group, The International Homicide Investigators Association, The Center for Gender in a Global Context, The Research Consortium on Gender-Based Violence, The Society for Police and Criminal Psychology, and The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. Dr. Holt is a consultant for the Cold Case Foundation and several law enforcement agencies. She has developed and co-presented trainings on typologies and theories of sexual offending, and pornography use and sexual offending, cold case investigation, and homicide and death investigation. She recently received funding from the Michigan State Police to develop offender-focused knowledge and investigation practices for the Michigan Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.

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Current Research

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and Offender-Focused Investigations, Child Sexually Exploitative Materials (CSEM) Offenses

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Areas of Expertise

• Sexual Deviance and Sexual Offending
• Sexually Motivated Violence
• Offender-Focused Investigations

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Selected Publications

Rimer, J. & Holt, K. (2024). “I’m a Monster, But I’m Not a Monster:” Symbolic and Social Boundaries Among Child Sexual Exploitation Material Users. International Criminal Justice Review.

Liggett-O’Malley, R., Holt, K., Holt, T., & Rodriguez, J.* (2023). Minor-Focused Sextortion by Adults: A Crime Script Analysis of Newspapers and Court Records. Criminology & Public Policy.

Holt, K., Kissinger, J., Spickler, C., & Roush, V. (2021). Pornography Use and Sexual Offending: An Examination of Perceptions of Role and Risk. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology.

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