Karen Holt, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor and criminologist in the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. She received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in forensic psychology and holds a master’s and doctoral degree in criminal justice. Dr. Holt’s research focuses on sexual deviance, sexual offending, and sexually motivated violence. Her work has been published in scholarly journals such as Sexual Abuse, Violence and Victims, and the Journal of Interpersonal 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, and The Research Consortium on Gender-Based Violence. 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.
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.
- Holt, K. (2024). “Invisible Deaths”: A Critical Analysis of the Study of Prison Homicide. Homicide Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/10887679241238181
