L. Maaike Helmus

BIOGRAPHY

L. Maaike Helmus received her PhD in forensic psychology at Carleton University. She is a co-founder and current Vice-President (Research) for the non-profit organization SAARNA (the Society for the Advancement of Actuarial Risk and Needs Assessment). Her research focuses on offender risk assessment, with the overall goal of improving the accuracy, fairness, reliability, and transparency of case management decisions made throughout the criminal legal system.

Helmus has a particular interest in risk scale development and validation, risk communication, and biases in decision-making. She has focused her research on men who have committed sexual offences or intimate partner violence, as well as exploring the cross-cultural applicability of risk factors and scales. Helmus also enjoys conducting meta-analyses. She is currently co-editor of the journal Sexual Offending Theory, Research, and Prevention and on the editorial board of Sexual Abuse.

AREAS OF INTEREST

Offender risk assessment; sex offenders; statistics; prediction; recidivism; Indigenous offenders; meta-analysis.

EDUCATION

BA, MA, PhD (Carleton)

NOTE FOR POTENTIAL GRADUATE STUDENTS: OPEN TO ACCEPTING NEW GRADUATE STUDENTS

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Helmus, L. M., & Kyne, A. (2023). Prevalence, correlates, and sequelae of child sexual abuse (CSA) among Indigenous Canadians: Intersections of ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(9), 5727. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095727
Ahmed, S., Lee, S. C., & Helmus, L. M. (2023). Predictive accuracy of Static-99R across different racial/ethnic groups: A meta-analysis. Law and Human Behavior, 47(1), 275-291. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000517
Helmus, L. M., Kelley, S. M., Frazier, A., Fernandez, Y. M., Lee, S. C., Rettenberger, M., & Boccaccini, M. T. (2022). Static-99R: Strengths, limitations, predictive accuracy meta-analysis, and legal admissibility review. Psychology, Public Policy and Law, 28(3), 307-331. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000351
Helmus, L. M., Hanson, R. K., Murrie, D. C., & Zabarauckas, C. L. (2021). Field validity of Static-99R and STABLE-2007 with 4,433 men serving sentences for sexual offences in British Columbia: New findings and meta-analysis. Psychological Assessment, 33(7), 581–595. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pas0001010
Helmus, L. M., & Peikarnegar, M. (2021). Perception of risk in intimate partner violence is influenced by risk scales, perpetrator and victim gender, and mental illness diagnosis: A risk communication study with laypeople. Partner Abuse, 12(2), 130-156. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/PA-2020-0006
Marshall, E., Miller, H. A., Cortoni, F., & Helmus, L. M. (2021). The Static-99R is not valid for women: Predictive validity in 739 females who have sexually offended. Sexual Abuse, 33(6), 631–653. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063220940303
Helmus, L. M., Johnson, S., & Harris, A. J. R. (2019). Developing and validating a tool to predict placements in administrative segregation: Predictive accuracy with inmates, including Indigenous and female inmates. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 25(4), 284-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/law0000201
Perley-Robertson, B., Helmus, L. M., & Forth, A. (2019). Predictive accuracy of static risk factors for Canadian Indigenous offenders compared to non-Indigenous offenders. Psychology, Crime, and Law, 25(3), 248-278. https://doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2018.1519827
Eke, A. W., Helmus, L. M., & Seto, M. C. (2019). A validation study of the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT). Sexual Abuse, 31(4), 456-476. https://doi.org/10.1177/1079063218762434
Hanson, R. K., Harris, A. J. R., Letourneau, E., Helmus, L. M., & Thornton, D. (2018). Reductions in risk based on time offense free in the community: Once a sex offender, not always a sex offender. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 24(1), 48-63. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000135

SELECTED AWARDS

2022 Early Career Research Award (Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse; ATSA)
2021 Saleem Shah Early Career Award (American Psychology-Law Society and American Academy of Forensic Psychology)

COURSES RECENTLY TAUGHT

CRIM 103 – Psychological explanations of crime and deviant behaviour
CRIM 320 – Quantitative Research Methods
CRIM 318 – Special Topics (Forensic Assessment of Offenders)
CRIM 418 – Special Topics (Offender Risk Assessment)
CRIM 861 – Research Methods II
CRIM 872 – Special Topics (Meta-Analysis)

Courses

Spring 2024

Future courses may be subject to change.

School of Criminology