Sympathy For Criminals In Truman Capote's Cold Blood

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Truman Capote was a trailblazing writer of southern descent whose character was as odd as one of his own characters that appeared within his stories. In Cold Blood details the murder case of a family within a small town, by a conjecture of opinions, for those who have been found to have connections in the case of the murdered family. Capote's novel touches on a very serious topic that has been found to be in the headlines many times throughout the years: the topic of whether or not murderers born with mental challenges should be sympathized or just thrown into jail with no help. Capote “found it possible to look at the man beside him without anger—with, rather, a measure of sympathy—for Perry Smith’s life had been no bed of roses but pitiful, an ugly …show more content…
The question of whether or not these criminals born into a bad situation and with a mental impairment become a hot debate. Critics will believe the criminals don’t deserve the worlds sympathy for what they did, whereas its advocates will choose to see the best in the criminals and hope to save their lost soul. David Kopel, a writer for the Washington Post, which is a newspaper group aimed towards informing the public, believes that the mentally ill murderers debate is long overdue, and that, “Helping people who have severe mental illness is compassionate, expensive, and one of the best long-term investments that our society can make,” (Washingtonpost.com). A person should be sympathized if they were born with a mental disability, as “Mentally ill people are disproportionately victimized by violent crime,” and even the “many mental ill persons who seek treatment do not receive it,” (washingtonpost.com). Over the last half century mental hospitals decreased in the amount of space they have while the available space in jail and
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