Introduction
151,600 people die each day. Now, death occurs everyday naturally but there are instances in which death is caused by the hand of another. Even further than that, there are individuals who take multiple lives with no remorse. These individuals are known as serial killers. There are many reasons serial killers are born. Physical and sexual abuse can serve as a catalyst for becoming a serial killer. One person that fits these characteristics is Luis “The Beast” Garavito. This man is considered one of the most heinous serial killers in history. The way he carried out his crimes is almost unspeakable.
Case Summary
There are many heinous crimes that go unnoticed by the public. These vicious acts of violence can happen at any place and at anytime. These violent acts can stem from issues during early childhood. In the case of Luis “La Bestia” Garavito he was no exception. Garavito was born in Colombia on January 25th, 1957. As a boy, Garavito experienced both mental and physical abuse. Garavito’s father used to beat and sexually assault him, but it did not end there. Garavito had two male neighbors who also used to sexually abuse him. As a teenager, Garavito left home and went on to work many jobs. He eventually moved to a new town and even tried to commit suicide. Garavito also had issues with alcohol abuse. After his failed attempt, he was in a psychiatric hospital for five years. In 1992, Luis took a turn for the worse. This is when Garavito began his serial killings. He would lure boys, from the ages of 8-16, rxxe, torture then kill them. Between the years 1992-1999 it was estimated that Garavito killed 192 boys. However, it is believed that he killed more because a map Garavito drew, of where he put the bodies, showed 300 bodies. Garavito committed his crimes in areas away from the city, in places where vegetation was thick and plants grew high. He would tie the victims up, then slit their throats or torture them. After this he would sexually assault then kill them. In 1999, Garavito was witnessed trying to rxxe a young boy. His attempt had failed and the boy was able to give Garavito’s description to the police. Later on that day Garavito was arrested for attempted rxxe. While being detained Garavito began to confess about his killings. However, it was still difficult for the authorities to trace his killings since he was constantly moving from town to town and would even change his name and appearance. He committed these crimes in 11 of Colombia’s 32 departments and in parts of Ecuador. Garavito was later sentenced to 1,853 years in jail for the murders of these young boys. However, Colombia does not believe in life sentencing or the death penalty; therefore his maximum sentence was 60 years. Since Garavito has aided Colombian authorities in finding the bodies and has confessed to the killings, his sentence has been reduced 8 years. It is likely that Garavito will be out in the next 10-20 years. This is quite unsettling for the people of Colombia.
Forensic Psychology Focus
In order to understand Luis Garavito from a forensic psychologist’s point of view, we must first examine how areas of forensic psychology relate to this case. When examining Garavito we have to observe his behaviors. Garavito was a serial killer for quite some time. From this alone, in police psychology, we can create a psychological profile on Garavito. We can analyze Garavito and look into his past to see if any of his childhood experiences impacted his decisions to kill. From this psychological profile we can analyze the way Garavito killed, who he killed, and maybe deduce why he killed in the first place. A psychological profile could help pick Garavito’s brain a bit and get a better understanding of why these events may have transpired the way they did.
Garavito could be classified as a power/control serial killer. Being that he had been sexual assaulted when he was younger, Garavito may have felt powerless. As an adult he had to figure out away to gain this control or sense of power back. This could explain why he preyed on young boys and would tie them up. It would be a chance to assert his dominance with no opposition. Garavito would also be considered a nonpedophiliac rapist because he would sexually assault his young victims before killing them but did not seem to have an interest in children otherwise. This could have been a way of Garavito changing his past. Since he had always been a victim, this was his turn to victimize others.
Garavito’s methods would cause one to look at this case from a crime and delinquency standpoint. We can see how Garavito’s actions transpired from being a victim himself in his youth. The way he carried out his transgressions may mirror things that were done to him as a child. This is another area that can be used to determine Garavito’s mental health. Were his traumatic experiences the catalyst for these crimes and did these experiences have irreversible psychological damage? Would the absence of these traumatic experiences change the outcomes of Garavito’s decisions? Through criminal psychology these questions could be answered. Criminal psychology also serves as a mean of intervention for Garavito. By intervening, methods of treatment could be implemented. Because it is apparent that Garavito had signs of psychological trauma. Being a victim of rxxe himself would have led to psychological damage. According to Jayne Walker, John Archer and Michelle Davies10, male rxxe survivors have a history of psychological disturbances. Within the article the researchers also mentioned that rxxe victim survivors also had problems with drug and alcohol misuse (Myers, M. F.,1989)8. This may be why Garavito had a heavy drinking problem and why he could only commit his crimes while he was inebriated.
When dealing with high-profiled criminals different measures are taken in terms of placement in prison. An area that should be focused on in this case is correctional psychology. It can be used to rehabilitate Garavito before and during his time in jail. While in jail Garavito could undergo treatment for being a serial sex offender. There are specific prison-based treatment programs, such as the Sex Offender Treatment and Monitoring Program (SOTMP), which are successful at lowering chances of re-offense and parole completions (Heil, MacKinnon, Campbell, and Shoemaker, 2012)5. This or similar type of treatment could be helpful since Garavito may still be alive when he is released from prison. We would want him to be able to reintegrate into society knowing that he would not reoffend. Garavito should also get treatment for serial killings to prevent them from happening once again. This area of psychology was also used when placing Garavito in prison. Garavito has been kept away from the other prisoners because they believe he will be killed instantly if around other inmates.
From a victim and victimology standpoint we can see how Garavito’s actions transpired from being a victim himself. This area would have been useful in aiding Garavito with his issues of sexual abuse. The type of abuse Garavito dealt with was primary. Insight on Garavito’s history could help educate the people of Colombia gain awareness of the consequences sexual abuse can have on a child. Programs could be set up to aid victims of sexual abuse. Laws could also be put in place to protect victims of sexual abuse in Colombia. If harsh measures are taken for sexual offenses, the likelihood of sexual offenses could reduce in numbers. Not only could it help educate the people of Colombia, but it could also allow for more victims of sexual abuse to speak up. This area would also be helpful in treatment for Garavito’s sexual abuse and help assess whether he suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder.
Forensic Roles & Responsibilities
As a police psychologist, when Garavito arrived to the station, the first thing that would have been done was a psychological profile. In the area of police psychology it is important to piece all the evidence together and try to figure out who the offender is. The police of Colombia was able to deduce that the offender was a middle-aged man, he wore glasses, always drank the same liquor, walked with a limp, and had injuries on his arm and leg. Since Garavito was brought in on a rxxe charge, at the time it was not known that he was the one killing off many of the young boys in Colombia. They were only able to figure this out once he started confessing. Evidence found suggested that Garavito was linked to these crimes but at the time DNA was not yet used. Garavito’s confession aided the police in bringing him into custody.
Roles as a psychologist of crime and delinquency would entail mental health risk assessments, psychological therapy, and alcohol abuse treatment. Garavito would need to be evaluated for mental health issues that may pose as a threat to other inmates or himself. In the case of Garavito, his mental illness could stem from his troublesome childhood. There is evidence to show that inmates with mental illness, caused by childhood trauma, can pose as a threat. Inmates with childhood trauma are more likely to engage in violent behaviors while incarcerated (Kuanliang & Sorensen, 2008; Steiner & Wool-dredge, 2009; Wright, Salisbury, & Van Voorhis, 2007)6. Evaluations of risk would need to be given to Luis Garavito since he is more susceptible to violent behavior because of his past. Garavito would also need to attend therapy sessions for his childhood trauma. As a repeated offender, psychological therapy could help figure out where Garavito’s violent behavior stemmed from. It might also help Garavito gain clarity on why he committed some of the acts he did. As a psychologist of crime and delinquency one would mandate that Garavito attend an alcohol abuse program while incarcerated. Garavito’s life long habit of drinking could have had severe psychological damage.
Being a correctional psychologist one of the roles would be to assess Luis Garavito for any psychological illnesses he may have. Therefore he could receive proper treatment while in jail. The goal of this would be to rehabilitate Garavito and ensure that he would be able to reintegrate into society if he were ever to be released. This would also be important to reduce the chances of Garavito committing offenses again. Studies have shown that the rehabilitation of inmates reduces the chances of repeated offense and coming back to prison. The research findings from the extant research conclude that all forms of correctional education reduces recidivism; more specifically, college education during incarceration has the greatest impact on recidivism. (Hall, 2015)4. In other words, educating Garavito in a correctional facility could potentially eliminate the chance of him killing or rxxing children once again. There have been interviews in which Garavito has stated that he has learned what he did is wrong and he is remorseful of it. However, there is no known information about Garavito receiving rehabilitative education while in prison, this may just be an attempt at lowering his sentence. Another way Garavito wants to gain control.
Another psychological assessment would be administered to see if long periods of isolation have an effect on Garavito’s psyche. Since Garavito is kept away from other prisoners, this could have a toll on his cognition. There are studies that support the notion that solitary confinement, or in Garavito’s case protective custody, is detrimental to mental health. A research article stated, “…a disproportionate number of prisoners with mental illness are housed in solitary confinement, and such confinement both exacerbates and causes mental illness.”(Gordon, 2015)2. If in fact it is determined that Garavito does suffer from a mental illness, protective custody could worsen the severity of it, if not even create it. As a correctional psychologist it is important to asses mental health of prisoners and correct behaviors where need be. This does not only guarantee the safety of the community but the safety of the prisoner himself.
Another role as a correctional psychologist would be setting the appropriate guidelines for Garavito’s parole if he is still alive upon release. These strict guidelines would also serve as a way of regulating Garavito’s behavior while he is out. Any violations of his parole would result in his return to prison. Specific rules that one could set as a correctional psychologist could be on-going therapy after release, staying away from areas with children, screening for alcohol use, and the inability to travel or move from set location of residence. As a serial killer, Garavito would need strict guidelines to adhere to, since his crimes were quite heinous.
As a psychologist of victim and victimology one main goal would be to educate victim services of cultural differences when dealing with victims of sexual abuse. Understanding that Garavito may be in the subculture of mental illness could help him receive adequate help, despite him being a serial killer. Another role would be to help counsel the people who have to deliver death notifications to the families of Garavito’s victims. This task would certainly take a toll on a death notification servicer being that there are so many victims in this case. Another role would be to evaluate Luis Garavito as a victim of sexual abuse.
Conclusion
Luis Garavito will go down in infamy as The Beast who tortured, killed, and rxxed over 100 young boys in Colombia. It is clear that Garavito’s childhood experiences played a role in how he lived his adult life. Being a victim of rxxe and possibly suffering from depression took a toll on his cognitive reasoning. Garavito felt the urge to kill children because they probably reminded him of him self. The children he killed were Garavito. They were around the same age he was when he was molested, so in a way he was killing that part of his life. Through areas of forensic psychology we could further analyze Garavito and unfold the mystery of his mind. Police psychology grants us the ability to create a psychological profile and piece every part of this case together. The psychology of crime and delinquency allows us to dig into his past and see where his behavior stemmed from. Correctional psychology allows us to correct this behavior and rehabilitate Garavito, if the opportunity of his release were ever made possible. The psychology of victim and victimology allows us to address Garavito’s victimization as a child. Forensic psychology helps with gathering facts on a serial offender, understanding why a serial offender acts the way they do, and rehabilitate this behavior so that it does not continue. Forensic psychology also allows for more research on people such as Garavito. This research could help educate the public on factors that contribute to the makings of a serial killer. This way more preventative actions can take place to help not only these victims, but also society as a whole.
Action needs to start at the childhood stage of life. Children who are constantly neglected, abused, and bullied are at a predisposition. Not to say that children who go through these type of issues will become serial killers, but it never hurts to remain on the safe side. We need to create better environments for children to prevent serial killers from emerging.
We also as people need to be more understanding. After conducting research on Luis Garavito I began to feel sympathy for him. In the end Garavito was still a victim himself. The way he dealt with his situation was an act of evil but had he received proper psychiatric care, this may have been prevented. Mental illness needs more awareness, in society and within prisons. Society as a whole needs to change and be more understanding of people who suffer with mental health issues.