Latest news with #GopalMahey
Straits Times
18-05-2025
- Straits Times
Pre-sentencing therapy helps offenders with underlying issues to break cycle of reoffending
Senior counsellor Gopal Mahey (in green) facilitating Pact's support group at the Centre for Psychotherapy in April 2025. PHOTO: C4P SINGAPORE - Being bullied throughout secondary school left Nick (not his real name) struggling with depression and anxiety. When he was unable to find a job in his 20s, he began to isolate himself at home. He turned to pornography as an escape for his 'absolute despair', and subsequently discovered voyeuristic content, which led him to film an upskirt video. This soon escalated to a spree, with him filming such videos every two or three days 'on autopilot'. After he was arrested in 2024, he felt helpless and came close to reoffending. The 32-year-old was referred by his lawyer to a programme designed to provide psychological support for first-time offenders. The Pathways to Accountability, Change and Transformation (Pact) programme was launched by social enterprise Centre for Psychotherapy (C4P) in January 2024 to fill a critical gap in the justice system – pre-sentencing intervention – said C4P senior counsellor and Pact founder Gopal Mahey. This is defined as the period between when a person is charged and when he is sentenced, which can take anywhere from four weeks to one year. 'While legal representation is often prioritised, we saw a need for structured support to address the deeper psychological and behavioural factors that contribute to offending,' Mr Gopal said. For instance, sexual offences among young people can stem from an early exposure to pornography, absence of guidance, emotional isolation and adverse childhood experiences, with offenders internalising distorted ideas from online content. The idea behind the programme is upstream rehabilitation and early intervention to hopefully disrupt cycles of harm, reduce reoffending, and build long-term reintegration potential. Mr Gopal said there is a 'rupture' in the identity of an individual who commits an offence, and hence a need for the offender to rewrite his narrative. Psychological and social support catered to each offender helps them to break the cycle of reoffending and successfully reintegrate into society, he added. Pact is tailored for those facing criminal charges, especially first-time or non-violent offences, as well as for young people and adults navigating addiction, mental health issues or identity struggles. Offenders are referred to the programme by lawyers and the State Courts to rehabilitate them. Pre-sentencing psychotherapy is separate from mitigation, and pre-sentencing psychotherapy reports are not meant to influence the outcome of court proceedings or dictate sentencing, said Mr Gopal. Pact includes individual and family therapy sessions, as well as a fortnightly support group. Its activities include letter-writing exercises to empathise with victims. Pact has since supported 97 offenders, 41 of whom committed sexual crimes. Of the rest, 25 committed financial crimes, including theft; 19 committed violent crimes; 10 committed substance abuse or trafficking; and two committed traffic offences and public nuisance. Over half of the participants were aged 19 to 29, and about a quarter were aged 30 to 39. Ten of the 97 were women. Pre-sentence support for offenders is not widely available in Singapore, with only a handful of organisations offering this service. The charity Prison Fellowship Singapore started offering pre-sentence support in 2020, and the service has helped 48 offenders and their families since then. Under the service, care managers and social workers prepare first-time offenders for what to expect for their sentence and in prison, including when their families and the charity's care managers can visit them. Prison Fellowship Singapore also refers offenders or their families who need extra help – such as with the implications of incarceration on the family – to the psychologists it partners with. Lawyer James Gomez of Edmond Pereira Law Corporation said he refers to Pact young people and those with addictions, or deeper psychological factors that contribute to offending. Lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya of Regent Law refers clients to Pact for a 'holistic' approach to resolve court matters, as some issues clients struggle with are out of the area of expertise of lawyers. Mr Gomez said clinical counselling and psychotherapy reports put together by C4P on the offenders also help lawyers to bring up mitigating factors, such as childhood trauma, to the court, to seek a lighter sentence for their clients. He added that he has seen young clients who were loan sharks coming out of the programme telling him about their aspirations to make money in a different way – by establishing their professional careers. Mr Kalaithasan said he has seen clients he referred for pre-sentence support stay out of trouble with the law. 'They become more disciplined. They appreciate the effort by other people to help them out. So far, I do not have repeat clients who come back with similar issues.' Mr Gopal said he is working towards doubling Pact's annual capacity from 70 to 140 participants. The programme is run by four staff and two interns. Down the line, he hopes to potentially integrate Pact as a national upstream rehabilitation option supporting young people and first-time adult offenders before sentencing. Things are looking up for Nick, who is under forensic investigation for voyeurism and possession of offensive material. He is waiting to be formally charged. Since his arrest, the self-employed marketer has spent a year in therapy, including counselling sessions with his parents, and support group sessions. The sessions have helped him to shift the focus to his parents and what he wants to achieve for himself. He said his father, whom he barely spoke to in years, now leaves him canned iced coffees in the fridge. He also travelled overseas with his family for the first time in a long while. He has managed to find two good friends after 'putting himself out there' and joining online groups, and is now motivated to help others who are bullied or struggling with mental illnesses. 'The small positive steps that I've taken after my arrest actually cumulated in something bigger. So now I'm at a point where better things are happening for me, and it's like a positive loop,' he said. Beyond pre-sentencing, Pact provides support to offenders in prison and up to 12 months post-release. Another participant, Tim (not his real name), also turned to filming upskirt videos as an escape when stress from his work and conflicts with his wife made him feel 'out of control'. 'Doing something that felt wrong, that feeling was very addictive,' he recalled. Tim was jailed for three months in 2019 for voyeurism, and three weeks in 2024 for trespass on a female dormitory in a tertiary institution. He held distorted thoughts around the girls he took upskirt videos of – that they wanted to show off by dressing 'provocatively', and that he was not touching or harming them when he filmed them. Tim said having Pact's support from January 2024, at the referral of his lawyer, helped him figure out why he felt the way he did. 'When I first came in, I actually remember thinking that Mr Gopal could have seen similar cases happen so many times that he is one step ahead of us.' Tim, who is in his early 30s, has since returned to volunteer with Pact's support group. 'Some people have been committing an offence because it has been something that they feel they have no choice but to keep doing. They don't have something else to replace it. 'So without all this support, it's very easy to reoffend. The only thing that is stopping them is fear.' He said having others journey with him offered him a way out, reminding him that he was not alone. It is a reminder, he said, to those who have served their sentences: 'You still deserve to live a meaningful and fulfilling life that also helps to contribute positively to society.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
CNA938 Rewind - Are more young persons committing sexual crimes?
CNA938 Rewind - Are more young persons committing sexual crimes? Over 460 youths were arrested for sexual crimes in 2024, and more than 470 in 2023. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin speak to Gopal Mahey, Senior Counsellor, Centre For Psychotherapy Limited, about the potential causes and what can be done to address this troubling trend. 18 mins CNA938 Rewind - 24 heavy vehicle drivers caught for not displaying speed limiter labels in recent three-day operation Under the law, heavy vehicles with a maximum laden weight exceeding 12 tonnes must be fitted with speed limiters. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin speak to Professor Raymond Ong, Transport Analyst and Deputy Head (Research), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUS, to find out more. 12 mins CNA938 Rewind - Vesak Day celebrations include numerous charitable and outreach efforts Did you know Buddhism is the largest religion in Singapore, according to the 2020 Singapore Census? Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin speak to Saw Cheng Boon, President of Buddha's Light International Association (Singapore) to find out how the day is observed in Singapore and around the world. 15 mins CNA938 Rewind - Bar hopping abroad with mixologists from Manhattan & Origin Bar In 'Destination Anywhere', Melanie Oliveiro discovers the F&B travel adventures of two mixologists/bartenders in Singapore. Cherry Lee, bartender from Origin Bar, Shangri-La will recall her bar travels to Hong Kong and Korea which she finds busy and dynamic. Zana Möhlmann – Manhattan's head bartender - will talk about the party scene and bar snacks culture of The Netherlands where she's from. Being half-Surinamese, she will talk about Suriname cuisine and how it blends five different cultures together. Both are involved in the Diageo World Class competition - the largest and most respected bartending competition for bartenders by Diageo Bar Academy. 19 mins CNA938 Rewind - Explore mental wellness and eye-catching art at Paragon Shopping Mall In 'Made in SG', Melanie Oliveiro speaks with the key people involved in shopping mall Paragon's 'Spring Soiree' campaign. The campaign transforms the mall into a sanctuary of art, nature, and wellness – in support of mental health causes. Koh Pei Li, a renowned Singaporean artist fronting her brand PeiPer, talks about 'Blooming Windmill', a 4.5-metre-tall windmill flower installation symbolising various mental health messages. Mosscape's creative director, Shannon Eng, will describe 'A Botanical Escape' an 18-metre landscape featuring greenery and intricate floral arrangements. Paragon's centre manager, Chan Shuk Ling, will highlight other installations and workshops available to visitors, beyond those led by PeiPer and Mosscape.
Malay Mail
10-05-2025
- Malay Mail
Over 460 Singapore youth arrested for sexual offences in 2024, ministry highlights link to pornography exposure
SINGAPORE, May 10 — A growing number of youth sexual offences have been linked to early and repeated exposure to pornography, according to Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The Straits Times reported today that in 2024, more than 460 individuals aged 19 and below were arrested for sexual crimes, with incidents involving sexual penetration of minors most common. This figure was on par with 2023, which saw over 470 arrests — a 30 per cent increase from the previous year. The MHA highlighted that many young offenders, like a 17-year-old boy who filmed his female classmates in school without consent, lacked awareness of the impact of their actions. The boy, who had watched pornography for years from the age of 11, had learned to objectify girls. His behaviour was not malicious but stemmed from re-enacting what he had seen online, as he had never been meaningfully educated about boundaries and consent. When contacted by ST, senior counsellor at the Centre for Psychotherapy, Gopal Mahey, said that distorted perceptions of sexual relationships were common among youth exposed to sexually explicit content. 'Youth today grow up immersed in a digital culture where pornography is easily accessible, often degrading and rarely reflecting mutual respect or consent,' he was quoted as saying. To address this growing concern, the MHA and Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE) introduced two resource guides in November 2024 aimed at helping professionals identify and manage inappropriate sexual behaviours in children and teenagers. 'DetACT Early' provides guidelines for early intervention, while 'Discern Online Sexual Harms' helps educators and counsellors manage the effects of online pornography exposure. The MHA also pointed to factors such as dysfunctional family dynamics and past abuse as contributing factors to youth sexual offences. 'Youth need secure, consistent relationships with adults who model respect, trust, and accountability,' said Mahey, stressing that a lack of such guidance can lead to distorted views on relationships and boundaries. With the rise in youth sexual offences, both MHA and counselling experts emphasised the importance of early education, guidance, and intervention to help young people navigate healthy relationships and avoid harmful behaviours.
