About SAARNA

Dr. David Thornton is a forensic psychologist specializing in the assessment, treatment, and management of individuals who have committed sexual offences. He is a co-developer of widely used risk assessment instruments, including the Static-99R, Static-2002R, and Risk Matrix 2000.

Dr. Thornton has served as Treatment Director and Research Director for Wisconsin’s program for sexually violent persons, and previously held leadership roles in the United Kingdom’s correctional services. He is currently a partner at Forensic Assessment, Training, and Research (FAsTR) LLC and a Master Trainer for SAARNA.

Dr. Thornton has authored over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and has extensive experience delivering training and consultation services internationally on structured risk assessment and offender rehabilitation.

Dr. Maaike Helmus is an applied researcher specializing in offender risk assessment and the development of predictive models for recidivism. She has contributed to the development and validation of key risk instruments including Static-99R, Static-2002R, BARR-2002R, VRAG-R, STABLE-2007, and ACUTE-2007.

Dr. Helmus is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University and serves as Vice-President (Research) for SAARNA. Her research focuses on enhancing the accuracy, fairness, and transparency of risk assessments, particularly for marginalized populations.

Dr. Helmus has received multiple research awards, including a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship, and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications advancing the field of forensic risk evaluation.

Dr. Yolanda Fernandez is a clinical forensic psychologist with a specialty in the assessment and treatment of individuals who have committed sexual offences. She is a Master Trainer of the Static-99R, STABLE-2007 and ACUTE-2007, and a trainer of the Static-2002R.

She was the lead author on the extensive revisions to the STABLE-2007 manual and the ACUTE-2007 manual, and is the second author for the revised 2016 Static-99R manual. Based in Kingston, Canada, Dr. Fernandez maintains a private practice providing assessments and treatment for individuals on probation for sexual offences.

Dr. Fernandez has presented internationally at major conferences and has published multiple peer-reviewed articles and co-edited books addressing offender management and risk assessment.

Dr. R. Karl Hanson is a clinical forensic psychologist internationally recognized for his work on risk assessment for individuals with a history of sexual offending. He is the co-author of major risk instruments, including Static-99R, Static-2002R, STABLE-2007, and ACUTE-2007.

Dr. Hanson has authored over 200 publications, including numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and major reviews that have influenced international standards in risk assessment and public protection.

Dr. Hanson served as a researcher and research manager for Public Safety Canada for over 25 years and is now an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University. He is a founding member and the current President of SAARNA. Based in Ottawa, Canada, Dr. Hanson continues to contribute to research, training, and policy in the field of forensic psychology.