Speakers

Dr. Guy Bourgon (Canada) is a clinical psychologist who has worked for over 30 years in corrections: inside the walls of prisons and with individuals under community supervision including the assessment and treatment of correctional clientele and designing and implementing evidence-based practices. He has worked collaboratively with the numerous agencies in North America, Europe, and Asia providing training and supervision of correctional professionals and leading organization change. He is recognized for translating research evidence into useful and practical concepts, skills, and techniques promoting client engagement, facilitating client change, and helping organizations bring research into everyday practice. 

Vivienne de Vogel is a psychologist and works as professor of Forensic Mental Health Care at Maastricht University and at the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. Furthermore, she works as researcher at the Van der Hoeven Kliniek De Forensische Zorgspecialisten, a forensic psychiatric center in Utrecht, the Netherlands and as Scientific Advisor Adviescollege Verloftoetsing TBS. Her research focuses on gender-responsive working in forensic care, violence risk assessment, communication and management, trauma-informed care, inpatient violence, and mental resilience of forensic mental health professionals.

Marco Brok works with The International Bureau Dutch Probation. At the Bureau probation professionals and volunteers support Dutch prisoners abroad and their social network. Marco is educated in social work and has been working for the Dutch probation service since 2002. Within the International Bureau he is responsible for the policy surrounding Dutch detainees abroad. This includes the evaluation and development of interventions, volunteer policy, training of volunteers and research.

Dr. Alexandra Walker is the Director of Community Relations and Strategy at the Alliance for Community and Justice Innovation (ACJI), which she co-founded to help organizations turn evidence into action. With over 25 years of experience in reentry, behavioral health, and corrections, Alex is an expert in implementation science, leadership development, and systems change. She previously served as Vice Chair of the Colorado Parole Board and has led local, state, and federal justice initiatives. At ACJI, she supports organizations through coaching, strategy, and training, helping leaders engage staff, foster psychological safety, and build healthy, high-impact cultures that drive results.

Anouk Visser, MSc. is a behavioural scientist with expertise in social impact, criminal behaviour and judicial interventions. Since 2019 she's been working for the research group Modelling Social Impact to study the impact of interventions in the social and security domains, with and eye for relevant preconditions and opportunities for improvement. In recent years her work has focused on the societal impact of the Dutch probation services. Through theory and literature, she attempts to interpret quantitative results and provide direction for future research. In 2025, Anouk Visser and the research group received the Probation Research Award, a European research award from the Conferation of European Probation (CEP).

Krista Skara is a senior probation and psychology professional with more than 13 years of experience in resocialisation and evidence-based probation practice. She is Head of the Probation Programs Division at the State Probation Service of Latvia, where she is responsible for strategic development, management, staff training, and quality assurance of probation programmes. Skara has held senior roles within the State Probation Service since 2015, including Senior Expert and Researcher, and has contributed to the development of behavioural correction programmes, particularly for young offenders.

Skara has seven years of experience in the Latvian Prison Administration, working as a psychologist and researcher, leading juvenile resocialization programs, conducting psychological assessments and counseling in youth prison, and overseeing research and methodological development of resocialization programs.

In parallel, she has extensive experience in psychology and education, having worked as an educational psychologist and psychology teacher at the National School of Arts of Latvia, as well as a supervisor for master’s students in forensic psychology at the University of Latvia. Since 2023, she has also served as a supervisor at Barnahus Latvia, supporting professionals involved in child interviews in criminal proceedings, and she regularly lectures on child rights protection and resocialisation.

Imants Mozers is an international public relations and strategic communication expert with more than 20 years of experience in public sector communication, creative campaigning, and public awareness in the justice field. He serves as Head of Public Relations at the State Probation Service of Latvia, where he has played a central role in strengthening public understanding of probation and rehabilitation through clear, human-centred communication.

Mozers works internationally as a communications consultant, supporting justice institutions in Ukraine and the Western Balkans in building public trust and institutional credibility. He is a member of the Confederation of European Probation (CEP) Expert Group on Communication and Awareness-Raising, contributing to European-level initiatives on visibility, transparency, and public engagement.

His work has received multiple national and international awards in the fields of communication and creative campaigning. His professional focus lies at the intersection of strategic communication, storytelling, and digital innovation, with a particular emphasis on linking rehabilitation, community safety, and public trust.

She has been working for the french prison and probation service since 1999. She served as a probation officer for 23 years. For 12 years, she specialized in working with perpetrators of domestic violence. During that time, she facilitated discussion groups for this population. She also provides training on domestic violence for professionnals within the Ministry of Justice. Since 2022, she has been working as a methodology and support officer for probation services in her region. She supported the redaction of a reference framework for the Desistance Mentoring Programme, proposed as an offshoot of the Circles of Support and Accountability model.

Dr. Tessa Beausejour is a highly skilled Trauma Consultant, Addiction and Trauma

Trainer, Intervention Specialist, and Licensed Psychotherapist with more than 25 years

of experience working within the field of Trauma, Addiction, and Mental Health. Her

expertise focuses on the link between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Trauma,

and the Addictive Process which often manifest in the form of aggression, rage,

substance and alcohol misuse for those persons involved in probation, juvenile justice

systems and adult penal systems.

Dr. Beausejour is the Founder and Director, of Restoring Roots Mind Body & Soul, INC

which provides Specialized Consultation, Targeted Interventions, Trauma and Addiction

Treatment and Training to Organizations, Probation Departments, Government Entities,

Schools, Police Departments, Judicial Systems, and Substance Use Treatment Centers

in the areas of trauma, and addiction, in addition, to providing individual and group

therapy to private patients struggling with ACEs, Trauma, and Addictive Processes.

Dr. Beausejour recently spearheaded an 18-month program with the Barbados Probation

Service, training various entities that intersect with probation while providing clinical

oversight to the staff, conducting assessments, intensive group, individual trauma and

addiction treatment for youth offenders, while concurrently providing trauma training and

psychoeducation for the parents and caretakers to curb youth recidivism.