A respected academic leader in the field of criminal justice with a focus on victim's issues, Moriarty is the author/co-author and/or editor/co-editor of eight scholarly books, several in multiple editions, and numerous refereed academic journal articles. She is the past president of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) and the Southern Criminal Justice Association (SCJA). She is the recipient of the Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice, Outstanding Alumni Award; ACJS Founders Award for outstanding contributions to criminal justice education; and McGraw-Hill/SCJA Outstanding Teaching Award.  She serves on the editorial board of the journal, Victims and Offenders.