PSY378: With profiling, the police managed to narrow down the suspect pool and arrested the perpetrator: Forensic Psychology Assignment, SUSS, Singapore

Question 2 (40 marks)

With profiling, the police managed to narrow down the suspect pool and arrested the perpetrator, Tan, three days after his third assault on 10 April 2023. During the arrest in Tan’s home, the police found more than 1000 pornographic photos and videos in his computer and the knife that he used to threaten his victims with. Investigative interviewing with the suspect also revealed the following information about him:

• Tan, age 32, was a school dropout at the age of 15 years old. He was employed in a few semi-skilled jobs before settling down as a car technician ten years ago. Tan started abusing ecstasy and methamphetamine (ice) at the age of 15 and 18 respectively. He was caught stealing on a few occasions to finance his substance use habits. Criminal records also showed that Tan was charged with outrage of modesty in 2017, and was sentenced to jail for 1 week after a guilty plea.

He touched the thigh of a female customer in a car workshop and was reported to the police by his supervisor. When confronted by the supervisor, Tan argued that the female customer “asked for it and enjoyed the moment”.

•  Tan’s parents were divorced when he was 5 years old and Tan grew up with his
  alcoholic father in a 2-room HDB flat. He did not have any contact with his mother and barely had any memory of her. His father remained single after the divorce and was described as an aloof man who seldom talked to Tan and frequently left him on his own and unsupervised. Often, his father would invite his peers over to their flat to play mahjong and drink beer, leaving bottles of beers everywhere on the floor. Observing the adults, Tan started drinking the leftover beer at age 10 and progressed to binge drinking at the age of 15.
• Tan also shared that one of his father’s peers used to touch him inappropriately when he was a teenager. The father’s peer had also showed him pornographic materials and even taught him how to masturbate.
•  Tan has never been in any romantic relationship and did not have any friends apart from his colleagues at work. Even so, he described his relationship with his colleagues as cordial and he only “hung out” with them for work day lunches. During the interview, Tan confessed to the police that he had smoked ice and drank three bottles of beers before heading to the park. He shared that he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and was not able to control his sexual drive. In the interview, he remarked that “they were wearing short pants, they asked for this”. Tan was subsequently charged and sentenced to prison.
• Based on the case information on Tan, analyse the significant psychosocial risk factors and examine how they could have culminated in Tan’s sexual offending behaviour. Apply relevant theories of rehabilitation and formulate an intervention plan for Tan based on the risk factors that you have identified. Your intervention plan should cover both incare (i.e., when Tan is incarcerated) and aftercare (i.e., when Tan is released back to the community).