Two recent cases have highlighted the importance of identifying the mental condition of offenders, and the value of treatment over jail time.

On May 15, Goh Lee Yin, 36, was found dead at the foot of a block of flats in Sengkang. She was due in court the next day in relation to theft charges, among other things.

Goh, who had been in and out of the courts for shoplifting and other offences since 2005, had been diagnosed by one psychiatrist as struggling with kleptomania. Kleptomaniacs have a recurrent urge to steal.

The courts recognised that her mental condition played a role in her committing the offences and she was placed on probation for two years after she was convicted of theft in 2005, and for 18 months for a similar offence committed in 2006. The condition on both occasions was that she must get treatment.

That was before the Mandatory Treatment Order (MTO) was rolled out in 2010 as a sentencing option for those who broke the law because of their mental conditions.

Under the MTO, offenders have to undergo treatment in lieu of jail time. However, the order can be revoked if they reoffend or fail to comply with the conditions of their treatment. It is unclear if Goh continued treatment but she was back in court again for shoplifting in 2011, and cheating in 2012, and sent to jail both times after being convicted.

The order is essential in recognising that a person may have committed a crime that is out of character.

The second case concerns Er Meng Joo, 55, who had recently pleaded guilty to two shoplifting charges. He is an award-winning professor in electrical and electronic engineering from Nanyang Technological University.

Er was found to be suffering from a depressive episode, which contributed to him committing the offences. On Monday , he was sentenced to an 18-month MTO.

While the law recognises the mental state of the offender, it is now time for society to remove the stigma of treatment for mental health.

Shaffiq Alkhatib