Dr. Miller, a professor
in the Criminal Justice Department at Sam Houston, began researching sexual offending
during her clinical-forensic rotation during her internship at Baylor College
of Medicine. One of the rotations she participated in was leading a treatment
group of people on probation for sexual abuse. Miller
was initially hesitant to work with individuals who had sexually offended, yet
she recounts watching people heal, which led to them not commit any
new offenses. Since then, she has had an interest in preventing
sexual abuse and researching effective risk assessment and treatment methods.
According to Dr. Miller’s
research, the current strategies Texas uses to prevent child sex abuse are not
proving to be the most effective. Dr. Miller states, “We spend a lot of money
putting people on the public registry, and research is pretty clear that it is
not doing what it's intended to do.”
So far, her research has
shown that the current legislation Texas has is based on inaccurate assumptions
of individuals who have sexually offended. She hopes her research can provide a
more effective way for Texas to spend money on preventing child sexual abuse
and supporting victims, alongside educating students as a professor at SHSU.
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